them I rather think the latter because it 's used as a Name of honour If any man suffer as a Christian saith Peter 1 Pet. 1.3 Now this title Christian is of great importance Many are apt to say As they are a Christian when there is no reall Christianity in them For to be a Christian is as much as to be one anointed For as Christ was so called because annointed with all Graces in an unlimited manner so every Member of Christ is called a Christian because anointed with Graces Oh then thou that gloriest in that thou art no Heathen no Infidel no Jew but a Christian consider whether this be not a vain boast For is thy prophaneness thy wickedness thy impieties the anointing of Gods Spirit So that to have the reall power of Christianity is a difficult and straight work In after times the title Christian still continued And although they were sometimes called Cornelians from Cornelius Cyrillians from Cyrillus and Joannitae from John Chrysostome Eustathiani from Eustathius yet they did not own these Names And as Heresies began to rise up in many places some teaching one thing some another the Christian that kept to the true Faith that was constantly and universally believed in all the ages of the Church beginning from Christ and the Apostles times was called Catholique or universall in which sense he said Christianus mihi nomen Catholicus cognomen So that to be a Catholique was to believe that Faith which had been universally taught first by Christ and the Apostles afterwards by faithfull men in all ages And for the Papist to call himself a Catholique when the Roman Church hath so manifestly degenerated from the Apostolical and Scripture Doctrine and for them to make the Roman and the Catholique Church all one is as absurd as if a man should call London or England all the world The Papist therefore is no Catholique in a true sense because he cannot prove his Faith by the Apostolical Doctrine in the Scripture yea accuseth the Scripture as insufficient And some of their learned men have confessed that if they should try thir cause by the Scripture meerly it was gone I shall instance in one famous Name given to such who truly own Christ and his Truths and that is Protestants They were called thus not many years since in Luther's time whereas the Orthodox had got some indulgence for the profession of their true Religion and pure worship The Popish party did importune the Emperour of Germany to make an Edict at Worms and afterwards at Spires That no Religion should be publickly professed and owned but the Roman The Lutheran Party both Noblemen and others made a Solemn Protestation against that unjust Decree and ever since all that reformed from Popery have been called Protestants So that all those who have a compliance with Popery that admire their way in their heart or act by their principles cannot truly be called Protestants Thus you have heard the chief names by which Christians are called And still after no mans name And whereas Papists call us Lutherans Calvinists c. we indeed own Luther and Calvin and such men for worthy and famous instruments of Gods glory in their time but it is their calumny to call us after their Names It is true a man by way of difference or distinction he may say a Lutheran and Calvinist to denote some peculiar opinion but to own any man as an Author of our Faith or the foundation of Religion is not consistent with true Christianity There are pregnant Reasons for this First Because as our faith in regard of the efficient cause is the gift of God so the object and motive of it must be Gods authoriâ—y because he speaks and revealeth such things Humane faith is because a man saâ—â—h such a thing divine faith because God saith so Now see how carefull the Apostle was that the Churches faith should not be in humane wisdome but in the mighty power of God And so the Thessalonians received it not as the word of man but as the word of God 1 Thess 2.13 The Apostle saith They had not dominion of their faith 2 Cor. 1.24 They were not able to make any Articles of Faith necessary to be believed You see then none may be called after men we are not their Disciples their believers for that which resteth on men is but an humane faith and we ought to have a divine faith Men indeed may be instruments to propound the things to be believed but the motive is a divine testimony because God saith so Solomon by his wisdome declared to which woman the childe belonged to but he did not cause the affections of the mother to the child So faithfull Officers of the Church may declare the truth of God but they cannot work faith in thee Secondly Therefore we may not be called after men to build on them because we are not baptized into any mans name and we are onely to professe those in whose name we are baptized into 1 Cor. 1.13 Paul doth powerfully urge this Argument why they might not say they were of Paul because they were not baptized into the name of Paul So then his Disciple thou art and his badge thou onely art to wear in whose name thou wert baptized and that is not into the name of a man but the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost Thirdly The Apostle presseth another Argument Was Paul crucified for you Did Paul die for you 1 Cor. 1.13 His meaning is In him onely we are to believe who is able to make our reconciliation with God who hath wrought our Redemption for us And therefore it 's a very high sinne to build your faith on a man It 's to make him a Saviour it 's to put him in Christs room Fourthly Our Apostle urgeth a further Argument in the same Chapter He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord And Christ is made unto us Wisdome So all boasting in men is to be excluded as well as boasting in works Oh but what is the cause of so many errors of so many divisions It 's from boasting in men such a man and such a man and by this meanes the glory due to God is taken away Fifthly The Scripture makes it a great sinne in matters of Religion and the worship of God to be servants of men 1 Cor. 7.23 Now what is it to be a servant of men when as bruit beasts we are wholly led at the command of others believe what they bid us believe worship with such worship as they command yet this hath been an universal sinne in all ages of the Church Men nuzzled in ignorance and pleasing themselves in their folly have without any judgement or information from Gods Word taken such a Religion and followed such a Worship as hath been imposed upon them Hence they have been sometimes of one Religion and sometimes of another because they have been servants to men and not Disciples of Christ
of the tongues observation of the peculiar phrases For whereas the matter is sometimes wholly new and supernatural so the words are not alwayes used in the same sense as humane Authours do Comparing also the Context is very usefull and parallel places consulting also with the gifts and abilities of others When Philip asked the Ethiopian Vnderstandest thou what thou readest How can I said he unless I have a guide Act. 8.31 Vse of Admonition to all who take upon them to give the sense and meaning of the word of God let this Text be as a pillar of salt to season thee it 's a dangerous thing to wrest Scripture Thou that puttest it upon the rack God will put thy conscience upon the rack Why dost thou so proudly so arrogantly so boldly meddle in this matter The people of God are not to be kept in ignorance that is a Popish principle but yet they must learn with humility and self-denial with the use of all means necessary He must not be his own master he that is so â—ath a fool to his scholar say the Rabbins and yet this must not be so interpreted but that he who brings truth may resist the whole world as one Paphnutius did an whole Council Vse 2. That it 's not enough to bring Scripture to name many Texts unless we find out also the true and proper sense This makes for the honour and dignity of the Scripture that all would fain authorize their tenents by that It 's no derogation to the Scripture neither may it be called a nose of wax therefore but it exalteth the Scripture the more Vse 3. Of Exhortation to you people as we are to take heed what we deliver so also what you receive what you believe It 's a very hard thing to reconcile these two things To give all the respect and obedience that is due and called for by God to your spiritual guides and teachers and yet to exercise your own faith and judgment likewise He that doth not run into one of these extreams either to neglect the Ministry and to use his own eyes only or else to put out them and rest only upon the eye of his guide is a wise and a solid man Be thou carefull to split upon neither of these rocks but be waâ—y what you receive and how you believe Verse 11. For other foundation can no man lay then that is laid which is Jesus Christ THis Text is a Reason of that Caution delivered in the verse before Every man must take heed how he builâ—eth Why Because there is no other foundation but Christ To set up any thing in Christs stead or to deliver any thing contrary unto Christ this is here reproved So that in the words Christ is described secondly the Ministers duty about him declared Christ is described 1. By his proper Name Jesus a Saviour of his people 2. By his Office Christ the Messiah the anointed one 3. Metaphorically the foundation sometimes Christ is called the foundation and sometimes the corner stone and all is to one sense to shew that he only supports the spiritual building whether we mean the Church in general or every soul in particular Now it 's true the Apostles Ephes 2. and Rev. 21. are called the foundation also but theirs is Fundamentum fundamâ—ntorum as Austin or fundamentum fundans and fundamentum fundatum The Apostles are only foundations that are built upon another foundation viz. Christ Or else the Apostles might be called a foundation because of their Doctrine in which sense Peter is called a rock And Christ saith he would build his Church on him viz. upon that Doctrine confessed by him Mat. 16.18 Though Cameron understandeth it of the person of Peter yet not in the Popish sense but because Peter was to be used as the first Person who should preach the Gospel to the Gentiles so that he is the rock of the Church because on his preaching first was built the declaration of the Gospel to the Gentiles But this I affirm not For you see here he is not only the foundation but the solitary foundation No other Secondly Their is the duty of the Minister Any other can no man lay Can none that is none ought Illud possumus quod jure possumus Observe That the Ministers of God ought to lay no other Foundation then Christ They are to build their people upon no other rock All is to referre to Christ All Threatnings all Promises all Commands all Duties they are to bring to Christ As every thing in the Temple was covered with gold so Christ is to cover all things To be in all things But how is this to be unnderstood We shall shew how many waies Christ is to be preached as a Foundation and you the Hearers are to make use of him in that sense First therefore He is to be laid down as the only foundation in respect of knowledge and instruction We are to preach and set up him as the great Prophet and Teacher of his Church He cals himself the light that came into the world Joh. 8.12 The Ministers they are light but as the Starres do lucere luce alienâ with a borrowed light from the Sunne so neither do the Ministers of the Gospel enlighten any other way but by light from Christ Hence he was prophesied of betimes as the great Prophet whom God would raise up for his Church and for this end he is so often called the Word because he doth reveal unto us Gods will and God from Heaven commanded all to hear him Mat. 17.5 All the Prophets were the Prophets of Christ all the Officers in the new Testament are the Officers of Christ So that we are to declare that all people who expect Instruction Reformation and any profit by the Ministry must not build on man but Christ And this is the chief scope here No man may lay any other foundation No man may set up any other Doctor or Teacher viz. principal but him as is to be seen in the former Chapter And that is the reason say some why Paul doth so often name Jesus Christ in that Chapter And no marvell if he be the foundation for none Teacheth as he both objectively and subjectively We all reveal the Object and propound the Doctrine to your ears though none did so objectively as he did but subjectively none can teach as he He giveth the understanding heart he opens the eyes to see and the ears to hear Never therefore expect the powerfull effect of the Ministry unless thou build on Christ more then the parts of a man The abilities of the man these are but like Gehazi with the Prophets staff they will not raise the dead Child unless Christ come himself It 's true we must not set up a teaching of Christ in opposition to the Ministry as some did They would have no Ministry at all but expect to be taught by him yet as we must necessarily use it so it
pure Worship because 1. God is greatly provoked by the contrary God may be provoked by sinfull worship three waies 2. Corrupt worship â—ends to the breach of Union between God and his Church 3. God looks upon corrupt worship as done to Devils 4. Men are prone to invent new worship Reasons to prove that all acceptable worship must have a Divine Command Quest Answ Of the foundation of practice The parts are 1. It 's directory Gods Word 2. The justifion of our persons 3. A receiving power from Christ 4. A renewed and sanctified nature Why we should be carefull of laying these foundations for every good action The â—oâ—ten foundations that men build upon in regard of practice Observ Of Ministers praising themselves In what cases Ministers may magnifie their Work and Office Observ Ministers are not to preach any new Doctrine The use of Preaching notwithstanding the fulness of the Scripture Observ Of Ministers building upon the foundation of Scripture by their preaching Gal. 3.15 A two-fold building upon the foundation Both the words of Scripture and the sense of Scripture must be attended unto Why Ministers must take heed how they build upon the true foundation 1. On Gods part 2. On the peoples part 3. On the Ministers part Directions to Ministers and people how to build aright upon the foundation Observ Of preaching Jesus Christ as the foundation How many waies Christ is to be preached as a foundation Reasons why Ministers are to lay no other foundation but Christ Object Answ Object Answ The great advantages which those people have who are built on Christ Observ What is implied by comparing the truths of Christ to gold and precious stones 1. In respect of the matter 2. In respect of the way and manner of preaching them Observ Errors not fundamental are hay and stubble Propositions to amplifie this point Why errors are called hay and stubble Wickedness in practice the fruit of errour in judgement Observ What secret sins shall be brought to light The aggravation of secret hidden sins Observ Hidden and secret wayes of false doctrine shall be made manifest What concerning errours shall be made manifest 1. The causes of errour shall be manifest 1. Pride 2. Ignorance 3. Hypocrisie 4. Ambition and affectation of high places 5. Discontent and imparience 6. Envy 7. Contemplative delight in a mans own notions II. The nature of errour shall be manifested III. The cunning subtilty in divulging them shall be manifested Observ That God hath his time for the discovering of errour Errors are spiritual judgements What is meant by fire The way God takes to bring people out of errour By the word and afflictions Which are both helpfull but differently in these respects How wandering sheep are reduced by the Word Object Answ How afflictions may help to reduce men from errour Observ Of the durable nature of Gods Truths Truth two-fold Increated and Created Created truths of two sorts Scripture truths reduced to four heads Truth willing to be tryed They grow more illustrious by the fiery Tryal The effects of truth also upon the heart will abide this tryal Object Qu. Whether any Ministers or Churches are quite free from building hay or stubble Observ Every man shal be a loser by what error soever he maintaineth Wherein they shall be losers Observ Errours in judgment may damn a man as well as a wicked life The several corruptions of the understanding that endanger a mans salvation The difference between errour and heresie The grounds of the Doctrin Observ The difficulty of salvation even to a godly man The Church is Gods Temple Observ Church Priviledges and Relations are great Obligations to Holinesse How the word Temple is used in Scripture What it doth signifie Of Gods spiritual Temple What there is in the Church alusively to the Temple Of Gods presence with his Church The significa of the word Spirit when attributed to God That the Holy Ghost is God and a Person That he is a Person That he is God Arguments Why the holy Ghost is called Spirit Of the Spirits dwelling in us What to have the Spirit dwell in us implieth The special works and effects of the holy Spirit in his Church Doubt Resolution Observ Of defiling Gods Church with errours Why errors are said to defile Gods Church How God will punish Heretiques A godly maâ—n may fall into a damnable heresie How a godly man erring differeth from a wicked man Errour and erroneous persons distinguished Why God is so provoked with corruptions in Doctrine and Worship Observ Of Eternal Damnation The punishment of losse The pain of sense The aggravations of this destruction Eternal Universal Inevitable Observ Of the Temple of God Of the Jewish Tabernacle and Temple Believers joyned in a Church way according to Scripture are Gods temple Observ Of humane wisdome what an hinderance it is to the things of Christ Carnal wisdom an enemy to the Scripture Carnal wisdom an enemy to Christian duties Observ Humane wisdome nothing to Scripture-wisdome Scripture-wisdome excels speculative wisdome Scripture wisdome excels the moral or practical wisdome of the world Observ True wisdome is but folly in the worlds account The things to be believed have these seeming follies The hope of a Christian foolish in the judgment of the world The duties of Christians foolish in the judgement of the world Observ That true wisdom is only in the Church of God demonstrated Observ All worldly wisdom is folly before God And that whether considered actively or passively I. Active foolishnesse How worldly wisdome is foolishnesse in a passive sense God turning all their wisdome into folly A two-fold humane wisdome viz. good evil Observ How God takes the wise men of the world in their own craft Object Answ Observ Of vain thoughts In what sense the Scripture useth the word vain Observ Of glorying in men How many wayes we may be said to glory in men in the general How many wayes we may be said to glory in Doctors and Teachers Observ All things are the Saints In what respects all things may be said to be the godly mans Why God made all things for the godly Object Answ Object Answ Doubt Answ Object Answ Observ All Offices are for the Church In what sense the Ministers are not servants to the Church against Brownists In what sense they are the Churches The end for which they are the Churches Observ In what sense the world is said to be a godly mans Object Answ Observ Godly men only live In what respects it is true that the wicked do not live Observ The generation of death In how many particulars death is a godly mans Observ Observ Observ In what respects a godly man is Christs Characters of such as are Christs In what sense Christ can be said to be Gods Observ Of the Natures and Person of Christ and of the hypostatical Union How Christ as a man and as a Mediatour is Gods The general Character of the godly and the wicked All good the creature affords should lead us to God the universal good All naturally desire felicity The perswasiâ— of what is the best good and which is chiefly to be desired is wonderfully diversifyed according to the several inclinations humours and conditions of men How hardly this sin is discerned untill a man be enlightned by Gods Spirit All have lost the Image of God which alone did elevate the soul And Original corruption is come in the room of it If the godly man is yet conflicting with this sinne then it must needs reign in an unregenerate man The common gifts and graces of Gods Spirit never cures this evil The point is proved from the nature of Conversion And from the restlesse and unquiet heart of every natural man Their very approaches to God demonstrate that they prefer something before him The creature is unable to help us in our greatest exigencies Immoderate love of the creature is inconsistent with the love of God Is's a wofull snare and temptation The Word is unprofitable to a man while he preferres the creature It is a tormenting sinne All the things thus affected are vanities It 's direct Idolatry It 's a debasing of a man Such as prefer the world before God cannot Pray The heart is too noble for the creature Consider that all that have over-loved the creature have experienced the vanity of it Consider the reâ—sâ—â— why God mingles gall with the Honey of every creature Consider how insufficient they are of themselves to help and comfort us Heaven and glory cannot be obtained without a preement and transcendent affection to all other things Consider how â— some Heathens and superstitious persons have trampled upon earthly things to attain a notable end What this phrase to lift up the light of Gods countenance upon a man implyeth I. Riches II. An untroubled Conscience is no Argument of Gods countenance 1. An untroubled Conscience may be a stupid seared Conscience 2. And may be accompanied with grosse sinnes 3. And without taking Gods way for the obtaining and preserving of it Causes of the eclipse of Gods face to the godly The nature of this joy How it exceeds all worldly Joy The wonderfull Effects of Faith in quieting the soul in Afflictions The Doctrine xplain ed. The Arguments by which Faith quieteth the Soul The Stoical Security The Mirth and jollity of most wicked men under Gods Judgements How it differs from a gratious Confidence God alone preserveth in safety I. II. God preserveth principally And by creatures instrumentally 1. Irrational 2. Rational men Angels III IIII. The several waies by which God preserveth his people in safety
deceive himself if any man seemeth to be wise in this world let him become a fool that he may be wise 229 Observ Thut humane and earthly wisdome is a great enemy to all the heavenly things of Christ 230 A man having no more than natural humane wisdome is an enemy to 1. The supernatural Matter and Doctrine to be believed 2. The manner of promulgation of it in Scripture 3. The holy and spiritual duties required of us ibid. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world 239 Observ That all humane and earthly wisdome cometh farre short and is but a meer shadow and appearance in respest of Scripture-wisdome ibid. Wisdome of the world Speculative and Political ib. That the Scripture way of believing exceeds their contemplative Science And That the Scripture motive of doing surpasses all their morality 237 Let him become a fool that he may be wise 239 Observ That true Christian wisdome is nothing but folly in the worlds account ibid The seeming follies that are in things to be believed ibid. Let him become a fool that he may be wise 243 Observ That onely in the Church of God or in Christianity is true wisdome ibid. The point evidenced by ten Arguments ibid. Verse 19. For the wisdome of this world is foolishness with God 246 Observ That all the admired wisdome of a meer worldly man is nothing but contemptible folly before God 247 Their folly manifested both Active and Passive iâ—id What humane wisdome it is that is here intended 253 For it is written He taketh the wise in their own craftiness ibid Observ That God delights to take the earthly wise men of the world in their own craft 254 How many wayes God takes the wise men of the world in their own craft ibid. And why he doth it 256 Verse 20. And again The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vain 257 Observ That the choisest and best thoughts of the wisest men are vain ibid. In what sense the Scripture useth the word vain or vanity ibid. Verse 21. Therefore let none glory in men for all things are yours 260 Observ That it 's a great sinne to glory in men 261 How many wayes we may be said to glory in men ibid. For all things are yours 264 Observ That all things are for the spiritual good and advantage of the godly man 265 In what respect all things may be said to be the Saints ibid. Why God made all things for them 266 Vers 22. Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas 270 Observ That all Offices and Gifts howsoever diversified are for the Churches of God 271 In what sense Ministers are not Servants of the Church against the Brownists ibid. And in what sense they are the Churches Servants ibid. The end for which both Offices and Gifts are the Churches 273 Or the World 274 How the word world is to be here taken ibid. Observ That the whole world with all things therein is for the spiritual advantage of a godly man 275 In what sense the world is said to be a godly mans 275 Or Life 278 Observ That godly men do only live or The godly only make a spiritual use of their life 279 In what respects it is true that the godly man only lives ibid. And in what respects it's true that the wâ—cked man doth not live 281 Or Death 282 Observ That even death which in it self is so terrible yet is for a godly mans advantage ibid. Some Propositions about death ibid. In how many respects death is a godly mans 283 Or things present 286 Observ That whatsoever falls out for the present to a godly man it is for his good ibid. A division of all Events into happy and prosperous and adverse and afflicting ones ibid. In how many respects both the one and the other are for the good of Gods people ibid. Or things to come all are yours 290 Observ That all things which are to come or may fall out hereafter are a godly mans mercy and advantage ibid. This is proved by Instances and Promises 291 How on the contrary it is with a wicked man in respect of things to come 293 Vers 23. And ye are Christs 294 Observ That a godly man in all that he is or can do is wholly Christs ibid. In what respects a godly man is Christs ibid. Characters or Properties of such as are Christs 296 And Christ is Gods 298 In what sense Christ can be said to be Gods ibid. Observ That Christ as Man and as a Mediatour is wholly Gods ibid. Of the Nature and Person of Christ and of the Hypostatical Union ibid. How Christ as a Man and as Mediatour is Gods 299 And how admirable these Truths are ibid. THE CONTENTS OF THIS TREATISE OF THE GODLY MANS CHOICE THat no Natural or Unregenerate man can lift up his heart any higher then unto a worldly happinesse and content in the Creature 1 The sinfullnesse and wofull Aggravations of such an Estate 10 Antidotes and Meanes against setting the heart upon the Creature 14 That a gracious heart doth more esteem the favour of God and the light of his Countenance then any earthly thing whatsoever 19 The Qualifications or Characters of those who do value and desire Gods favour above all things else 23 A Consideration of some false Grounds of a Perswasion of Gods Love 27 Of the Joy of Saints in God and Heavenly things as one Effect of the light of Gods Countenance The Nature of it and the Preeminences of it comparatively to all other Pleasures whatsoever 32 Of the godly Mans holy Security and Admirable quietnesse of spirit as another Effect of the light of Gods Counnance 40 How the vigorous Actings of Faith doth quiet the heart 46 The difference between Carnal and Gracious Confidence 49 The Reason of the Saints confidence viz. That God alone is their Preserver Shewing also the Wayes and Meanes by which God doth Preserve them 53 The Bookseller to the Reader I Hope there will not be found in the Reading of this Book any considerable Faults some lesser Errata's there may notwithstanding the great care that was used in the absence of the Author which of course must be pardoned The Contents noted in the Margin with the Table were done by a Friend for the pleasure of the Reader which is mentioned to clear the Author from what weakness may possibly be observed in the doing of them Tho. Underhill AN EXPOSITION WITH Practical Observations ON THE Third Chapter of the first Epistle of St Paul TO THE CORINTHIANS 1 COR. 3.1 And I Brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual but as unto carnal as unto babes in Christ FOr the Apostles method observe this you have his Complaint and the Cause of his complaint His Complaint I Brethren could not speak unto you as spiritual but as carnal Where First There is the Compellation Brethren He reproveth yet keeps up his love This mollifieth and suppleth the wound Dilige
then that of Bread Amos 8.11 But when will swine prize a Pearl or carnal men the things that are spiritual But then Secondly The several Abilities and various Parts that Officers in the Church have while they discharge this Office This we commonly call such a mans gifts He hath a special gift in such or such a way The Apostle speaks of the Word of Doctrine some men hath viz. doctrinally to open the sense of the Scripture and solidly to confirm it And another man hath the Word of exhortation Rom. 12.8 His Ability is in applying throughly and powerfully the Doctrine confirmed to the Conscience of the Hearers And both these are admirably necessary This is to be a shining and burning light Shining by Doctrine and burning by Application Thus some have more Eloquent Gifts others more plain and solid Esay is full of Eloquence and Amos is more plain Austin said Qui dedit Petrum piscaâ—â—rem dedit Cyprianum Rhetorem God hath called plain men yet inabled by Gifts to preach his Word and he hath also called eloquent men The Hen though with an hoarse voice can cluck her Chickens together as well as the Nightingale her young ones with a sweet voice In the next place This latter sort of Gifts are of two sorts Either Extraordinary such as the Spirit of God gave immediately without any humane industry or labour And thus in the Primitive Times of the Church their Gifts were extraordinary For though the Apostles were at first Tradesmen and illiterate yet ere they had a publique Commission to preach to all the world they had the Spirit of God extraordinarily descending on them in cloven Tongues That as diversity of Tongues did once destroy Babel so this variety of Tongues would destroy the Devils Kingdom So that the gifts of Tongues the gift of Interpretation and many of those things we read of 1 Cor. 12. they were extraordinary According to the Prophesie of Joel Act. 2. That God would pour his Spirit on them and their old men and young men should see Visions and dream Dreames These were extraordinary But because such extraordinary gifts were in the nature of Miracles to confirm the Apostles Doctrine and their Mission from God they now cease Therefore in the second place there are Ordinary gifts and they are such which by labour and study and praying we obtain at Gods hand For even these ordinary abilities of learning Parts and gift of Doctrine of Exhortation they come by the blessing of God And therefore when God is angry he blasts men and takes away their gifts from them Now these ordinary gifts the Appostle supposeth would be in Churches constituted after his departure Therefore it 's required of every Elder he should be apt to teach 1 Tim. 3.2 Yea those that had extraordinary gifts did make use of study and labour and diligent paines Thus Paul exhorts Timothy to give himself to reading that his profiting may appear to all men 1 Tim. 4.13 15. Yea Paul himself made use of his Parchments So that those Lamps which were inlighted by God himself did yet need the continuall oyl of their labour and paines And if this was true of those extrordinary gifted persons how much more of ordinary The Nurse that feeds not cannot long give milk so neither the Miinster that studieth not Now in the next place Consider the Ends Why all have not the same Gifts but some one way some another And First Hereby God doth declare his Wisdome His honour is magnified by these varieties It argueth there is plenty and fulness of the Spirit with him When God made the world how many several Species and kinds of Creatures did he make which no man can reckon up And then every individual in that Species different by some individual Properties from one another Every man hath a different face from another Which variety of the creatures doth wonderfully extoll the treasure of his wisdome The Musician sheweth his skill by his variety of Notes When the Tabernacle was to be built there was Aholiab and Bezaliel endowed with excellent wisdome for that purpose So that in this diversity of Administrations we may behold the wisdome of God and praise him much more in the Church Assemblies then in beholding the creatures Secondly God gives several Gifts that so the meanest may not be despised nor the greatest puffed up Because they did not only all come from God but they are in their harmony necessary The foot is a necessary member as well as an eye but the eye is more noble So that where the meanest gifts are if gifts when faithfully and conscionably imployed for the publique good they are not to be contemned because Gods Gifts And in this sense He that reproacheth the poor reproacheth his Maker Even as the least creature in the world is not without its proper use and office And then the greatest gifts they are but gifts and therefore we must not arrogantly be puffed up with them We must not take this wedge of gold and make an Idol of it and worship it Great parts and gifts have many times been great temptations and brought great misery As Matthew Paris speaks of one that having spent his time in his Lectures to prove that Christ was God and being greatly applauded for it he cried out and said O Jesus thou art beholding to me for thy Divinity this day Or to that effect Whereupon immediately this great Doctor was stricken with such ignorance and forgetfulness that for ever after he could not so much as say the Lords Prayer but as a little Child said it to him Let those then that have Parts take heed they do not promote the Devils Kingdom thereby and so at last be cursed by God Ornari à te Diabolus quaerit said Austin to an Heathen a great Scholar whose Conversion he endeavoured But Thirdly Gods main end of giving diversity of Gifts is that so if possible men may be converted and healed To one God gives Doctrine to another the Word of Exhortation and all is that if one prevail not the other may Thus there are some who are Sonnes of Thunder others that are Sonnes of Consolation that so both the way of terrour and the way of mildness may prosper So that the diversity of Gifts is a great demonstration of Gods willingness that men should repent and be healed Our Saviour comparing John's Ministry and his together Mat. 11.16 17 18. which seemed to differ exceedingly makes this use of it John came unto you in a strict extraordinary way he kept in the wilderness he went in rough garments And all this ridged way was to bring to repentance The Sonne of man he came eating and drinking viz. in a more familiar and conversing way And therefore he saith it was like the Childrens play We have piped to you and you have not danced mourned to you and you have not wept We have several waies treated with you But behold the wickedness
the only wise God he sees their thoughts to be vain He seeth that Ahitophels that Tullies that Pharaohs thoughts even when they intend to deale wisely are vaine Let men applaud them yet God derideth them 2. The Lord knoweth the thoughts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their reasonings their choisest acts of the understanding their best and most accurate Discourses all their Logick as it were to be a meer fallacy And then Lastly To be vain to be fruitlesse to be empty they make empty webs all the day long Domitian the Emperour is derided for spending time in catching of flies and yet as vain and foolish are all the thoughts and projects of every natural wise man So that what Motto the wise man would write upon every creature Vanity of vanity all is vanity So the same may be upon all the best thoughts meditations and counsels of the wisest men and if a mans mind be vain every thing else in him must needs be vanity for this is the salt that seasons a man and if that hath lost its seasoning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 become a fool all is likewise foolish Observe That the choisest and best thoughts of the wisest men are vaine We may consider man in a three-fold capacity 1. Politicè as a political creature endued with civil wisdome and so is part of a society and thus his thoughts are vain 2. Ethicè as he is to walk according to the Rules of reason which sound and rectified nature doth guide a man in and thus he is vain 3. Theologicè as he is to look up to Heaven to obey God and to aim at supernatural happinesse And in this sense especially he is a most vain empty man and to this the Apostle relateth To open the Doctrine let us consider In what sense the Scripture useth the word vain and you shall see them fitly applicable to the wisest mens thoughts that what is said of mans body may also be true of his soul Every man at his best estate is altogether vanity Psal 39.5 And First That is said to be vain which is empty and void of that worth and excellency which ought to be within Thus a fool is called often a vain person because he is empty of that solid judgement and reason which ought to be in a man Hence foolish persons are compared to empty straws that are blown up and down with every wind because they have no weight in them Nabals name and his nature agreed he was a fool The word comes of a root that signifieth to wither As the withered branch hath lost all its sap and juice so a fool hath And thus the thoughts of all men naturally are empty void and destitute of true wisdome They knew not wherein true happinesse doth consist or what is the way that looketh to it they do not provide for eternity they consider not that upon this moment depends eternity they look not out to the best and choisest things in the first place all that inward juyce and sap of spiritual wisdom is taken from them Secondly That is said to be vanity which seemeth to have great happinesse and content in it but indeed it 's the clean contrary A vain thing is that which hath a goodly appearance but inwardly hath no profit As those apples of Sodome so much spoken of Thus Eve called her son Abel vanity because she thought that before she had brought forth the man the feed that should break the Serpents head but finding him to be without the Image of God and devoid of all holinesse subject to mortality she called him Abel as deceived in her expectations And thus it is with all the thoughts of the wisest in the world they think at first they have possessed a man brought forth that which will accomplish all their desires but upon experience they see it is an Abel it 's vanity So that as Solomon tels us of a vanity in all earthly comforts in riches and pleasures because though they have a goodly appearance yet there is indeed no substance no solidity like the thorns which have white flowers but thorns Thus it is with the best and choisest thoughts and projects of the wisest men they have a goodly lustre you would think such wise men could not but be happy their expectations are raised but the issue doth deceive them Call us not Naomi but Marah may they say Thirdly Vanity in the Scripture is often applied to a lie Every man speaks vanity to his neighbour that is a lie Psal 12.2 And thus the thoughts of the most wise are a lie Let God be true and every man a liar Rom. 3.4 All thy thoughts are so many lies Now a man is a liar two wayes 1. To himself And then 2. To others To himself all his thoughts are a meer lie They promise such happinesse glory and felicity to themselves and in the mean while they are very lies they prove as the Land-flood as a reed a man leaneth on The rich man that said Thou hast many goods laid up his thoughts were so many lies Those proud thoughts of Tyre and Sidon that set her heart as God and said No evil should come near them were nothing but lies And if this were only in temporal and fading things the deceit would not be so dangerous but it 's in spiritual things also All mens thoughts naturally are concerning the goodnesse of their heart the purity of their wayes the happinesse of their condition but in all things they lie most damnably What a dangerous lie was that of Laodicea who said She was rich and cloathed and wanted nothing when indeed she was naked miserable and wanted all things Revel 3.17 All the Pharisees thoughts whereby they trusted in their own righteousnesse and justified themselves were nothing but lies And thus John Baptist reproved the Jews for their vain thoughts Thinke not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our father Mat. 3.9 The thoughts of men are never more dangerously vaine than when they please themselves about their good condition as to spirituals that all is well with them that God loveth them these are lying vain thoughts Again The thoughts of all men naturally are lies actively in respect of others They are full of falshood and dissimulation there is no truth or sincerity in men as David complaineth Psal 12. And the Prophet Isaiah complaineth Every one is an hypocrite the best is a liar Isa 9.17 That as the sheep runneth to the briars to shelter her self in a storm but they prove a lie because they tare her in stead of defending her Thus it is with all men therefore he is said to be cursed that puts his trust in men Jer. 17. For unlesse men have godlinesse and so are made sincere and unfeigned there cannot be any trust in them Hence are those Rules of wise men Nemini fidas in teipso spes tuas pone Fourthly Vanity is often in Scripture used for that which is
be not against thee Paul said He was the savour of death to some 2 Cor. 2.15 that perish Oh tremble that this Ministry this preaching should be for the good of others but not to thee They can say these are ours for conversion quickning and consolation but I stand like a dead tree under all the rain sending forth no fruit at all You would think it an heavy curse to have your bread not yours to nourish you your cloaths not yours to warm you but this is more terrible the Word preached is not thine to convert thee or reform thee What Shall God out of his great love provide these mercies for thee and thou go away with no advantage at all He is your Minister and that is your Sermon which is made yours in your life and obedience otherwise he is yours to accuse and condemn you at the last day Vse 2. Of Instruction How precious and dear the salvation of mens souls is that God hath appointed all things in the world and in the Church for this end All the creatures of God would teach thee this All the Ministers and Ordinances are for this end All thy mercies thy afflictions thy health thy sicknesse is for this Why then doest thou no more consider of it and lay it to heart Or the world all is yours We proceed to the second enumeration of those Goods the Apostle giveth an Inventory of and that is a very large and comprehensive one the world with all things therein The Devil once thought to tempt Christ by promising him All the glory of the world but here we see a gift made indeed of the whole world to every believer First All the things of the Church are given Then All the things of the world This is to have the fatnesse of heaven and earth together The word world as for the nature of it is wide so for the significations thereof it is also very large Sometimes we reade it in the plural number Heb. 1.2 Heb. 11.3 Christ is said to make the worlds not as if that fancy of some were true That there are many worlds but it supposeth the world in all the successive generations of it Now the world is sometimes used for the meer Fabrick of this universe with all things therein Heb. 4.3 Since the foundation of the world sometimes it 's used only for the Elect and godly as when it 's said John 12.47 I come not to judge the world but save it And John 6.33 he is said To give life to the world but this sense is very much questioned yet the Orthodox propugn it Lastly The world is used for the wicked inhabitants thereof Thus John 15. the world is said to hate the Disciples of Christ And 1 John 5.19 the whole world is said to lie in darknesse And well may the world be put for wicked men because they are farre the greater part and therefore the world is used in opposition to the Church 1 Cor. 5.10 because believers are called out of the world If you ask In what sense world is taken here I answer principally in the first for the fabrick of the world and all the contents therein the Cabinet and all the treasure in it this is a godly mans not in a political civil sense but a spiritual sanctified way And thus he that hath not where to lay his head or set the sole of his feet may yet be said to have the whole world as it was with Christ and Abraham Observe That the whole world with all things therein is for the spiritual advantage of a Godly man He may say of the whole Universe All this is mine for the advantage of my soul one way or other We have a pregnant place for this Rom 4.13 where you have a promise of being heir of the world and to whom is this made To Abraham and his seed What seed vers 12 Those that walk in the steps of the faith of Abraham So that you see the inheritance of the world iâ— made to Abraham and to all believers which is not true of the civil possession of it but of the sanctified use of it It 's true Interpreters do much dispute in what sense Abraham and so all believers can be said to be heirs of the world But certainly this Text is a good exposition of it Come we therefore to shew in how many particulars we may say the whole world is a godly mans it 's for his use And First It 's the godly mans School or Academy it is his study or library The Heavens and all things therein are so many books whereby he admireth the wisdome of God Rom. 1. If the very Heathens might make this use of the world How much rather the godly who from Gods making of the world do gather many excellent and solid supports As you may observe David never encourageth himself more about Gods support of the Church than from this Argument That he made Heaven and Earth He that did so great a thing what may he not do Psal 19.1 The Heavens declare the glory of God viz objectively as an excellent book declareth the glory of the Author but as he who would understand the excellent sense of a book must peruse it and understand it So he that would make a true use of the world for the exalting of Gods wisdome and power must diligently meditate on it This is that which one man saith the world is a godly mans mentaliter in his mind because by that he takes the occasion to admire God and to be affected in all love and fear This is the right consideration of the Heavens not to prognostick future contingencies which God reserveth as a property to himself but thereby to advance the wisdome and power of God Thus every herb every creature is a tongue yea the whole world is but one great tongue proclaiming aloud that there is a God Let then the world be thy study all the creatures so many books Do ye look on a watch or some curious needle work and admire the workmanship and shall ye not much more the world as Gods work Arianus Epictetus speaketh well to this though an Heathen condemning the negligence of men herein How many goe farre saith he to see the workmanship of Phidias and judge themselves unhappy if they die before they have seen that sight and shall not we much rather admire this world that is made by God Secondly The world is a godly mans Because every thing therein is given him for his necessary use Though he hath not every thing yet he hath as much as is needfull to him Rom. 8. If he hath given us Christ how shall he not with him give us all things else If you take a man into your house and bid him call for what he will he may command every thing in the house though he doth not call for all things but what is for his use that is as if he had all And thus
foundation in the hearts of their hearers 125 Of a two-fold foundation Fundamentum cognoscendi the foundation of our knowledge and faith in matters of Religion viz. the Scripture And fundamentum essendi or the foundation of the being or existence of all our glory and salvation viz. Jesus Christ ibid Four unquestionable Scripture-foundations ibid. With a discovery of rotten foundations 127 Why it is such a sinne to worship God many wayes as man pleaseth 132 As a wise master-builder 137 Observ That it 's not vanity but a duty in some cases for the Ministers of the Gospel to magnifie and set up their Work and Office ibid In what cases a Minister may magnifie his work and office ibid. And another buildeth thereon 139 Observ That people are not to expect that Ministers should bring any other Doctrine than what is laid by Christ and the Apostles already ibid. The use of preaching notwithstanding the fulnesse of the Scripture 140 But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon 141 Observ The Ministers of God are greatly to take heed that they preach no other thing than what is already contained in the Scripture Or It 's a dangerous thing to put that sense and meaning on the word of God which is not the true genuine sense of it ibid. A two-fold building upon the foundation ibid Why Ministers must take heed how they build upon the foundation 142 Verse 11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ 145 Observ That the Ministers of God ought to lay no other Foundation than Christ ibid. How many wayes Christ is to be preached as a foundation ibid. Reasons why he must be preached as the foundation 150 Objections and Doubts answered 153 How Duties are to be done and preached with relation to Christ 154 The great Advantages those have that are built on Christ 155 Verse 12. Now if any man build on this foundation gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble c. 157 Observ That the Doctrine and Truths of Christ are very precious and excellent ibid What the comparing them to Gold c. implieth ibid. If any man build hay and stubble 161 Observ That all errours and falshoods in Religion though not fundamental are no better than hay and stubble ibid Some Propositions about errour ibid. Why errours are called hay and stubble 162 Verse 13. Every mans work shall be made manifest 165 Observ That all the wayes and works of wickednesse though acted in never so hidden and secret a manner shall be made manifest ibid. What kind of hidden wickednesse shall be made manifest ibid. The Aggravation of those sins that are secret and hidden 168 Observ That all the hidden and secret wayes of false Doctrines God will one day make manifest 169 The Causes Nature the cunning subtilty in divulging them shall be made manifest ibid. For the day shall declare it 173 Observ That God hath his time when he will discover the errours and falshoods of mens Doctrines ibid. Errours are spiritual judgements the removal in mercy at Gods time 174 Why God will have a day to discover false Doctrine 176 Because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall declare every mans work of what sort it is 177 The interpretation of fire 178 Observ That God useth to bring people out of errours and false wayes by his Word and Afflictions ibid. Though the Word and afflictions are both helpfull yet differently 179 How wandring sheep are reduced by the Word ibid. How by afflictions 181 Verse 14. If any mans work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward 181 Observ That Gods Truths are of a firm and durable Nature notwithstanding any tryal or opposition whatsoever 182 Truth two-fold Increated and Created ibid Scripture-truths reduced to four heads 183 Verse 15. If any mans work shall be burnt he shall suffer losse but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire 185 Observ That every man will be altogether a loser in any errour or false way that he hath maintained he shall suffer loss 186 Wherein they shall be losers ibid. He shall be saved yet so as by fire 189 Observ That even errours of judgement may endanger a mans salvation as well as ungodlinesse in practice ibid. The several kinds of corruptions of the understanding that indangers a mans salvation ibid. The Difference between errour and heresie with the grounds of the Doctrine 190 Observ That every godly man though never so eminent yet is very difficultly saved 192 Verse 16. Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you 193 Observ That the consideration of those Priviledges and Relations which all the People that professe God are put into would be a great Argument against all kind of Pollution ibid Some of the chief Titles or Relations which the people of God have 194 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God 197 Of the word Temple ibid. Observ That the people of God met together to worship him according to his way are the spiritual Temple of God 197 What there is in the Church allusively to the Temple 198 Of Gods presence with his Church 200 And that the Spirit of God dwels in you 201 Observ That the Spirit of God is God 202 The signification of the word Spirit when attributed to God ibid. That the holy Ghost is God and a person ibid. Why the holy Ghost is called Spirit 204 Observ That the Spirit of God dwels in his Church 205 What to have the Spirit dwell in us implieth in that phrase ibid. How many wayes the Spirit may be said to dwell in Gods people 207 The special works and effects of the holy Spirit in his Chruch 209 I. Gifts ibid. How farre the gifts and abilities of Ministers that are acquired by humane study and industry are to be ascribed unto the holy Ghost ibid. II. Sanctifying graces 209 Of the saving inhabitation of the Spirit 212 Verse 17. If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy 216 Observ That those men who defile the Church of God with corrupt Doctrines do highly provoke God to punish them ibid Why errours are said to defile Gods Church 217 How God will punish Heretiques 219 A godly man may fall into a damnable Heresies 220 How a godly man erring differeth from a wicked man ibid. Errours are erroneous persons distinguished 221 Why God is so provoked with corruptions in Doctrine and worship ibid Him shall God destroy 222 Observ That eternal Damnation is the destruction of a man ibid. Of the punishment of losse sense 224 With the Aggravations of this punishment 225 For the Temple of God is holy which Temple ye are 226 Observ The holy Temple of God under the Gospel is not any place though never so adorned or glorious but persons believing and worshipping of him according to his will ibid Verse 18. Let no man
Church Vse 2. Of Exhortation to you the people Hath the Ministry been usefull to bring you effectually to Christ himself This is that Paul desired You may hear much you may pray much you may be much affected with the matter preached and yet all this while not close with Christ to receive him as a Saviour and to obey him as a Lord. A woman may have many Letters and Tokens of love from him whom she loveth and be much affected to him yet not married to him nor enjoy him as her Husband And so thou maist have some affections and good desires but thou art not yet united to Christ The work of the Ministry is not done till we can leave you in the arms of Christ Till we have prepared the way for Christ to lodg in your fouls Who then is Paul and who is Apollo but Ministers by whom ye believed The former part of this Text hath been considered Paul's modesty and sincerity in gaining people to Christ and not to himself Now let 's consider in what order or rank of Causes the Apostle puts the Officers of the Church and that is in the Instrumental Causes Wherein you may Observe the Effect viz. Faith 2. The Manner of working it it is by Ministery They are not principal Agents They are Ministers by whom you believed The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deacons And this is sometimes used for a special Office in the Church for those who had the care of the poor Thus the Elder and the Deacon are sometimes used for the setled Officers in the Church but in this place and many others the word is used largely for any Ministry or service And so the Apostles and Elders and Pastours may be called Deacons in this large sense viz. Such who by their labours and pains serve the Church and its good Observe that this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as almost all the rest of the Greek words that denote the duty and quality of Church-Officers signifie no dignity or honour but care diligence and all solicitude Thus the most glorious creatures have Names signifying their Ministry and service The Hebrew word for the Sun comes from a root that signifieth to serve as also for an Angel to be sent by way of ministration So the simple word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesychius makes to signify to make haste to runne to the markes end also as a man by this much striving stirreth up dust 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is dust like that of Virgil Pulverulenta fugâ Rutuli dant signa per agros So that the word in its native signification denoteth that earnest labour and striving which men that runne to some mark usually make by stirring up so much dust that doth even obnubilate the aire and from this it doth metaphorically signify that labour pains yea agony and striving which the Ministers of God ought to have in their work As Paul expressed it I have fought a good fight I have finished my course 2 Tim. 4.7 Thus the word is opened and it doth as we told you denote the quality and condition of the Officers of the Church in respect of their Auditours They are Ministers Instruments by which God works Faith in the Hearers Doct. That the Ministery in Gods Church is the Meanes and Instrumental Cause he hath appointed to work Faith and all other Graces in the Hearers This Point hath its good use for this will teach you what you should expect pray and hope for by the Ministry How doth it beget and increase Faith in thee How doth it wash thee and make thee clean But let us be more particular And 1. We shall shew you how it 's not an Instrumental Cause And 2 How it is Only take Rom. 10.14 for an eminent place to confirm this Truth where observe the excellent Gradation Paul makes None can call upon God or pray without Faith and none can believe unless they hear and none can hear unless they have a Preacher and none can be a preacher unless he be sent See what a dependence here is and how strong a place it is to prove the necessity of the Ministry This premised we go to the method proposed First When we say it 's the instituted meanes or Instrumental Cause it 's not to be understood as if the Ministry or Peaching of the Word by any inward natural power of it self can work grace in the hearts of the Hearers no Experience witnesseth that after ten thousand Sermons men remain as ignorant and as bruitish as before The words reach only to the ear but they make no forcible impression upon the soul So then the Ministry doth not beget grace as the fire burneth or the hatchet cutteth which are Instruments that work by their own inward dispotion and power to pruduce their effects This is good to observe that so still our hearts and prayers may be up to God who works in and by the Ministry Secondly Because it 's not a natural Cause therefore it doth not also work necessarily these Divine Effects in every subject but where and when God is pleased to apply it The Sunne shineth every where upon one thing as well as another The fire burneth alwaies every where in one place as well as another But the Ministry doth not so that is successfull in one place and not in another That works upon one Congregation and not upon another And herein Gods wisdom makes a wonderfull difference The most unlikely the most indisposed many times find the Ministry inlivening and quickning of them when others are blinded and hardned So that though we should have the Ministry of Angels and of the most eminent men that ever lived still we must take heed that by our unthanfulness negligence prophaneness we do not provoke God to withdraw his power and presence in the Ministry For if it be so as it is to be feared it is so to too many people then the Ministry is but a shadow or if a body a body without a soul It 's but a dead letter Yea not only the Law but the Gospel and all preaching is but the ministration of death and condemnation when without Gods Spirit and power As Elias servant though he had his Masters staff yet that could do no good to raise the dead Child till Eliah came himself Oh then say Lord be thou in their Sermons in their Ministry In the next place let us shew how it 's a Cause or Instituted Meanes And that is thus First God hath appointed the constant and diligent use of this in the Church and the peoples constant and diligent attending on it 2 Tim. 4.2 Preach the word in season and out of season That signifieth the diligent dispensing of the Word And then the people they are commanded to be swift to hear James 1.19 And As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word 1 Pet. 2 2. So that God hath indispensably commanded all people of what degrees
become of me The Psalmist complains of wicked men They made long furrows upon his back but this is happy when the word makes deep furrows in thy heart otherwise it 's but sowing upon the high-way which comes to no good Secondly This implieth that you should answer the satisfaction of that Husbandman whose Husbandry you are Who will bear that ground which after much labour and cost brings forth no fruit at all Now God hath greatly complained of this that when he looked for grapes behold wild grapes when he looked for righteousness behold Hemlock Oh this will confound you at the day of Judgment This will be your condemnation This you will never endure that God hath caused his seed to be sown given you an excellent seed-time precious seasons of grace but you for fruit have brought forth briers We read of Christ that when he looked for fruit on a Fig-tree and saw none he cursed it for ever although the Text saith it was not the time or season for figs Mat. 11.13 Oh then with what a grievous Curse may God curse thee when the time and season is of fruit and thou hast none Oh bethink your selves how you shall answer God in this matter Thirdly It supposeth a carefull improvement of all those means which God useth for our spiritual good If we be Gods Husbandry we are patiently to receive and fruitfully to improve whatsoever may make for our fruitfulness Now the meanes are of two sorts either essential and intire and perfect such as the hearing of the Word praying godly Communion or accidentall and occasional such as afflictions troubles and persecutions Even as the pruning of the Vine the burning of the Ground makes it fruitfull so all the troubles calamities and miseries that God brings on his Husbandry is to make them more fertile They need a Winter as well as a Sommer If thou then despisest the Ministry thou art careless under the means of grace no wonder if thou art no better then Heathens or Pagans that live in the wilderness Thou that art a tree planted by the River side yet bringest forth no fruit thy condemnation is near Lastly Consider how neer such a people are to utter ruine while you are but neer it there is some hope of scaping if you seek out who after all Gods Husbandry are the same ignorant and prophane people still The Apostle is plain in this The ground that often receives rain and yet brings forth nothing but briers and thornes is nigh unto cursing Heb. 6.8 It is nigh that is a mercy but at last it will be actually cursed and thrown in the fire Thou that art a wicked man in Gods field it will be worse with thee then all the wicked men in the world that are not Gods Church Let there be a weed in a Corn-field or a Garden it is sure to be weeded up whereas if it had been in the Heath or high-way it might have grown long enough Oh then say it cannot be that I should hold long with this wickedness in Gods field his judgments will overtake me Vse of Instruction Learn understanding by this familiar similitude You are Gods Husbandry The Spirit of God from the vocation and calling of many of you useth a comparison that so by earthly things you may come to heavenly What you would have your fields be to you after all your pain and cost the same be you to God Barrenness and unfruitfulness how doth it discourage you You care not for that Ground which never will yield a crop after all cost upon it How can God indure thee Thy soul is Gods field Oh what fruit what reformation shouldst thou shew forth Thus not only the Sabbath day but every day may be a Sabbath day Every field thou goest into Every goodly crop thou seest on the ground it may teach and preach unto thee As our Saviour said If I have spoken to you earthly things and you understand them not how then heavenly Joh. 3. If heavenly things be represented to you under the compâ—rison of earthly things and you not receive them how then if spoken in their own nature Take heed then lest thou who art as yet Gods field by his love and care on thee do not by his just wrath make thee a field of blood yea the blood of thy own soul Ye are Gods building This is the later similitude which taken singly of it self affords many necessary considerations For still take this along with you that he speaks not here of the mystical and invisible Church but that visible Church which was at Corinth and you will conclude this is a great title If the Centurion said He was not worthy that Christ should come within his roof How much more unworthy then are a people to be made a constant dwelling house for Christ spiritually to reside there And as it is a Title full of glory so it is also full of duty What manner of persons ought they to be who may be called Gods house Gods building I need not enlarge my self further in the Preface The word hath no difficulty onely as the former similitude did seem to comprehend both the matter and Gods action about it So here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may take in both that we are the house of God and that the building also is of God that we are of God both in fieri and facto esse Doct. That particular Churches are or should be Gods house Gods building Gods house or a Church is not properly the building made of timber and stones When we call that place a Church or the house of God it is onely by a Trope the persons contained put for the place containing and we can hardly in the New Testament find it so called yea some learned men say not at all to be sure there is but one place 1 Cor. 11.22 contended for that Church is put for the place where believers meet It is true some other places are pressed for this sense but with great constraint But in our common speech we call the material building a Church figuratively as Civitas is sometimes put for the place whereas properly it signifieth the Community of men met together by some orderly way So Synagogue doth properly signifie the company gathered together or their gathering together though afterwards for the place as in the Scriptures often Thus custome hath authorized it about the word Church Now see what degeneration grew in time The Material building which they called the Church the House of God they gave a relative sanctity to they made it holyer then other places but a reall sanctity or personal holiness of those men who indeed were the Church and the House of God that they persecuted and destroyed Isidore Pelusiota in an Epistle of his speaketh excellently to this purpose reproving a Bishop that adorned the Church-building with Images and costly Ornaments but persecuted those that were the Church indeed The latter he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
then believe no longer as men Do not think or speak as men but as those who have God perswading you Secondly The Scriptures are only the foundation because they are the immediate verity or truth coming from God who is the first essential truth They have not only a Divine Authority but evident infallibility As God himself is Truth and is not like man that may lie So his Word is likewise Truth and cannot lie or deceive as the writings of men Therefore Psal 19. they are said to be purer than gold seven times refined And it 's said The Scripture that cannot lie or cannot be broken John 10.35 It 's an heavy judgement to be delivered up in matters of salvation to believe a lie It 's the spiritual curse that is threatned to those of the Antichristian apostasie 2 Thess 2.11 Now they must needs be thus punished that forsake the Scripture and build upon other foundations Seeing then the Scripture doth contain infallible truth onely and not one iota or tittle of that can fall to the ground and in all other foundations that may be laid there may be falsehood errour and grand Impostures Let then those hearers that are carefull to keep a good faith walk by this Rule Chrysostome said Never expect good from that man who is not searching of the Scriptures attending to the Scriptures It 's an heavy grievous sinne that in your family in your closets you do no more acquaint your selves with the Bible Take a Tree from the River side and plant it in a wildernesse what can you expect but a withering And thus it is if you take a man from the Scripture his seeming faith graces godlinesse will all presently vanish Thirdly The Scriptures onely are the foundation of faith because they are onely immutable and unmoveable They abide alwayes the same they are not subject to changes to perturbations of affections as men are Councils consisted of men carried by passions and interests Even in the Council of Nice and the four first Councils there were great sidings great animosities particular interests and parties and therefore unlesse we had an unchangeable foundation we must be mutable Camelions Now the word of God that is said To abide for ever whereas all flesh is grasse and the glory thereof fadeth away 1 Pet. 1.24 25. It 's called the eternal Gospel Revel 14.6 So then that which was three thousand yeares agoe is still true because the Scriptures are still the same There is no new Bible though there may be many new opinions and new Sects Aristotle commendeth the Government of a Nation by Lawes above the wils and arbitrary resolutions of men because Lawes are fixed and known And so it is in the Church of God that hath a known Law and Rule Therefore it is an hainous errour which the learned note in Cusanus though otherwise not a very bad man in affirming That the Scripture is to be interpreted Secundum currentem statum Ecclesiae according to the present course and exigency of the Church and therefore in some age those things are received which in another are rejected Lastly The Scripture is only to be laid for a foundation because this onely is strong enough to support and bear up in sad hours of temptation and dangerous times of persecutions Who would be cheated or distinguished out of the Truth by subtil Hereticks or scared and terrified by violent opposers Therefore we had need be built upon such a rock that can endure all waves How could the Martyrs have resisted to blood had not they had Scripture-assurance Luther had this temptation Tune solus sapis c. and nothing but the Scripture confirmed him Our Saviour quelled Satans temptations by arrows out of the Scripture quiver When a man comes to die may he not be assaulted about the truth of his faith whether he die not in heresie or damnable opinions and nothing but the Scripture can uphold him Now for the matter of Doctrine to be believed some men lay four rotten and weak foundations others may be reduced to this The first is that of the Papist The Authority of the Church and the Pope being wholly ignorant themselves but resting all on their Authority Bellarmine doth not blush to expound that place Behold I lay in Zion a foundation stone secondarily to the Pope Now although we grant That the Ministry of the true Church is very usefull and necessary as the instrument of our faith and the preservation of it In which sense it 's called The pillar and ground of the Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 yet it is onely a Ministry not a Magistry It 's a political Pillar upon which Edicts use to hang for Declaration of the Magistrates will not an Architectonical Pillar that beares up the house So that Austins speech is true I had not believed the Gospel had not the Authority of the Church moved me viz. by way of introduction and preparation As the woman of Samaria did to the Samaritans who at first believed because she told them but afterwards they believed for Christs own sake We do not believe in the Church as we doe in the matter revealed in the Scripture Therefore that ignorant implicit faith to believe what the Church saith is not a Scripture-faith faith of knowledge besides then every member must believe according to that Church he is of and seeing there are Churches against Churches there shall also be faith against faith The second foundation men lay is The Authority of the Civil Magistrate This is a meer political faith Many men have no other apprehension about Religion than the Laws of the Land wherein they live They matter not whether true or false whether acceptable to God or consonant to Scripture but this is commanded and this they do As Seneca said in his time He observed that Worship of their gods Non tanquam Diis grata but legibus jussa not as acceptable to the gods but commanded by the Lawes But the Apostles example is clean contrary for they preached a faith to be believed that was contradictory to that Religion which was established by humane authority and they resolve thus It 's better to obey God than man Act. 5 29. The third is Private Revelation and Enthusiasmes As the Papists on one side have cryed down the sufficiency and perfection of the Scripture so Illuminatists men fancying to themselves Revelations from God have also decried it making themselves above the Scripture A dangerous and damnable delusion Therefore the Apostle John bids us Try the spirits and that cannot be without the Rule of the Word 1 John 4.1 And Fourthly Another false foundation is Meer humane Reason There are many risen up that make Reason the Judge and foundation of all Doctrinal Points the Socinian especially hereupon they reject the Trinity the Divine Nature of Christ as being against Reason Now although rectified Reason be necessary as an instrument to revive the things of faith yet it
of private persons though they also are to take heed they put no false or erroneous sense upon the Scripture but he speaks of publick Teachers who by their calling and Offices are to build Now the Object of this Exhortation is To take heed what they build To build after the foundation is laid is the same with watering after planting And it implieth a further continuation and illustration explication and application as also a clearer confirmation of that matter which is already laid down by the Apostles So that observe The Ministers of God are greatly to take heed that they preach no other thing than what is already contained in the Scripture Or It 's a dangerous thing to put that sense and meaning on the word of God which is not the true genuine sense of it They are with much care fear and trembling to consider how they build upon the Scriptures And if Ministers are thus to take heed then likewise all others who reade and search the Scriptures are to take heed of presumptuous boldnesse and irreverent ignorance in the perverting of it The Scriptures are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Testament or Will of Christ Now as it 's a dangerous thing even by the Laws of a Land to corrupt forge or falsifie a mans will No lesse capital is it to the soul of a man any wayes to pervert the Doctrine of the Word of God 2 Pet. 3.16 They that are unlearned wrest the Scriptures unto their own destruction See here a man may damn his soul by wresting and tormenting the Scripture as it were upon a rack to a contrary sense then what it intended Oecumenius on the place saith It 's as great a sinne to pervert the writings of the Apostles as it was to cut and mangle or murder their bodies To amplifie this consider There may be a two-fold building or ADDITION to the Word of God either Destructive and Corruptive such as wholly overthroweth the true meaning and sense of the holy Ghost And this is a very dangerous sinne Or else Perfective and Explicative Thus the New Testament was added to the Old as a perfective addition not corruptive though it could not have been added as Scripture but that the Authors thereof had a divine infallibility And now what the Ministers of God in their Ministerial labours do it must be an addition explicative of the foundation though it be not with divine infallibility We see here God thought it not enough to plant a people but he will have in all ages men to water not enough to lay a foundation but he will alwayes have builders who are to build on this For indeed we must not strain the Metaphor too farre Paul did not only lay the foundation but did also build up all the necessary parts of the house also onely by this similitude he would shew That there must be alwayes in the Church publick persons who by their Office are to build up people in faith and godlinesse but they are not left to their own imaginations to their own thoughts They must dresse every Sermon at the glasse of the Word they must preach as they reade in Scripture Secondly The word of God which containeth the foundation that the Apostles have laid may be either considered in respect of the words only or in respect of the sense cloathed with the words Now indeed it 's not the holy Scripture but when both the sense and the words go together if a man take the words only contrary to the sense he abuseth it and so promoteth the Hereticks and the Devils interest not Gods glory For the sense that is the internal for me and life of all the words So that it is not enough to alledge the words of the Scripture It 's not enough to be able to say The Scripture saith such words but the true sense and meaning that is the soul the words are the body only yet the words must be diligently attended unto as that by which we come to find out the sense The Devil brought Scripture but he perverted it applying it to an ill sense and so all Heretiques have alledged words but not the true sense breathing in them In the next place Let us consider Why we ought so to take heed and that is to be manifest in many respects First From God himself his glory and honour is greatly concerned herein For when we come in his Name and pretend his Word and indeed it is our own What is this but an high offence to God God doth severely threaten those Prophets that broached their own thoughts and preached the lies of their own imaginations yet said Thus saith the Lord. It 's no dallying matter it 's a matter wherein much prayer much humility and many graces are to be exercised lest we should highly dishonour God Oh if this were written in mens hearts they would be more tender and fearfull in delivering their opinions in saying This is the sense or that is the sense For when thou sayest This is the meaning of the holy Ghost This is the truth of God it behoveth thee again and again to consider lest thou put thy lie thy falshood thy sinfull imagination on God Secondly On Gods part we are to take heed Because he hath so severely threatned all those that adde or detract to his Word Any that shall alter these foundations or change these bounds If it be so hainous a matter among men to remove a land-mark and to confound such bounds how much more here That command not to adde or take away is set home with a terrible threatning Revel 22.18 If any shall adde God shall adde unto him the plagues that are in this book Oh see then what thou deliverest out of Scripture as Gods word for the judgments of God are threatned to such as offend herein And Prov. 30.6 Adde not unto his words lest he reprove thee Thou challengest any adversary to confute thee see here God will confute thee he will reprove thee and thou be found a liar Thou thinkest happily such and such an adversary will reprove thee take heed God doth not become thy enemy for such an opinion Oh then while we are preaching and delivering our heavenly message to you we are under a dreadfull account we are to pray and fear and consider lest God find us liars and reprove us at last Secondly On the peoples part Therefore we ought greatly to take heed For 1. The word of God in the true sense of it is the onely food and nourishment of the soul That onely doth nourish and cause to grow So that all those who build up any thing but Scripture-truths they give poison to a people to live upon How great a crime is it to poison any fountain where all people fetch their water And thus all they do and if it be not poison yet it 's but chaff What is chaff to the wheat said the Prophet Jer. 23.28 All
off every man from his dearest sinnes The Apostle speaking 2 Pet. 3.11 of this expectation and how the whole world shall be then on fire he cryeth out What manner of persons ought we to be For Heathens and Atheists that believe not this Day it 's no marvell if they eat and drink and take no care but how is it that thou a Believer of these things art not in Prayer often in fasting and humiliation in reference hereunto Vse of Instruction The reason of the deluge of all errours and prophanenesse is for want of good logick They do not inferre good conclusions from good Premises For to be a Church to be Christians to be Believers of such sure and certain things do not those inferre to all What manner of persons should we be in all godlinesse and holinesse of Conversation Do you not know these things Are not these things acknowledged by all How then can wickednesse and sinne be found in any mans life Oh men be either desperate Atheists or mad fools Atheists if we believe not these things fools if we believe yet our lives not answerable thereunto What wilt thou plead at the day of Judgment What will thy own conscience say for thee Wilt thou not become immediately speechlesse not able to open thy mouth when God shall command to take such a sinner such a wicked man and bind him hand and foot and throw him into Hell If these things be not true deny them if you cannot you dare not deny them then go home and mourn in secret and meditate in secret on these things Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God The Introductive Preface hath been dispatched we come to the Assertion it self and therein we are to consider the Subject who are compared And 2. To what they be compared And Lastly The ground or Reason of the comparison The Subject compared is Ye Ye are the Temple of God This Ye may be taken both Collectively as a Church a Community a Society as the Temple was not one stone but a multitude of stones artificially built together And Secondly Distributively Ye that is every man is the Temple of the Holy Ghost As 1 Cor. 6.17 Your bodies are the Temple of the Holy Ghost But the first sense is here chiefly to be retained he speaketh to them as a Church 2. Here is the Matter we are compared to The Temple of God I shall speak more of this in verse 17 Only the word Temple is used sometimes for that magnificent and glorious building of Jerusalem where God had appointed all his worship Sometimes it is used for Heaven as being that glorious Palace wherein the Majesty of God doth effectualy demonstrate it self The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth any large Palace or Tower any Kingly House and is attributed to the Tabernacle 1 Sam. 1.9 It 's used for Heaven as Gods House Mich. 1.2 and Psal 11.4 From Templum comes that word Contemplâ—r because all behold the glory of the Heavens as also some say Considere from sidus But metaphorically the word signifieth First The Body of Christ Destroy this Temple said Christ and in three daies I will build it up Joh. 2.19 And if the Temple were holy because of the Schechinah the habitation of Gods presence there how much rather doth Christs body deserve to be called the Temple because the Godhead dwelled in it so fully for the company of Believers assembled and joyned together in the service and worship of God So that as God promised to commune with the people of Israel from between the Mercy-Seat and did there graciously exhibite himself so it is here Thus then as the Temple was a peculiar place dedicated to God wherein God promised his gracious presence so it is with a company of Believers joyned together in a Church way Concerning the holinesse of the Temple more in verse 17. Doct. That the People of God met together to worship him according to his way are the Spiritual Temple of God The ancient Temple was not more glorious and admirable to the humane eye then such Societies should be to the eye of Faith Thus Antichrist is said to fit in the Temple of God 2 Thes 2.4 that is in the Church of God where the true Church was And learned men think that latter part of Exekiel's prophesie though very obscure concerning the measuring of the Temple is nothing but the Promise of the building of the Church in the new Testament in an heavenly and glorious manner The Scripture delights to allude to those ancient usages in the Old Testament So that Evangelical Duties are sometimes called Sacrifices thus the people of God a Temple in this place To open this Doctrine let us consider what is in the Church allusively to the Temple And First The Materials for the Temple were to be polished and fitted by art ere they could be made part of the building The trees and timber of themselves the stones of themselves were not fit for that goodly structure but they had Instruments of art going over them to prepare them and thus it is ere a people come in to be made Members of a Church indeed there must be a Divine efficacy and power passing over them We of our selves have not Faith have not preparednesse for such Church duties till God doth enable us Look we therefore how we come into the Church of God How is it brought about that we are so If there be nothing but nature and custome or because we are born in such places if we have no more for our being Christians then Jews have for being Jews Turkes for being Turkes this is not to be Gods Temple indeed No that must be said to thee which was to Peter Flesh and blood hath not revealed this to thee Mat. 16.17 Hence the Church of God is compared to a Vineyard to a Garden all which are not naturally so but by art and industry are made such Thus it is here whatsoever our Societies and Meetings are in reference to God it is wholly of his making Secondly The Materials of the Temple were very excellent and precious of gold and silver c. not hay and stubble The best stone the best wood that would not putrifie and all things were covered over with gold and the gold was to be pure gold even the very snuffers were to be of gold Now what did this represent but to shew what kind of people those should be who were of the Church of God even as much differing from the others as gold and precious stones from pibble stones as precious wood from bryers So then if we be the Temple of God we ought to be a people of more noble and heavenly Conversation then the world can reach unto There ought to be no sinfull debasing waies amongst us As Michall though falsly said to David dancing before the Ark Thou hast made thy self like one of the vile fellowes of the Land it is
represâ—nt this though many learned men ancient and later have used similitudes because there is no such thing as a God besides the true God And therefore Basil said well to the Heâ—etique desiring a similitude to represent the Trinity Da mihi alium Deum aliam trinitatem tibi ostendam Thus we have laboured to establish your faith in this necessary point Now I shall shew Why the holy Ghost is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spirit The word at first did signifie wind Why then doth the Spirit of God assume this comparative expression of wind Or rather Why is he called a Spirit Even for these Reasons First Essentially For the simplicity and purity of his Essence and this is common to every other Person for God is a Spirit Secondly Hypostatically For his personal propriety because he proceeds from the Father and the Sonne by way of spiration the manner whereof we cannot comprehend no more than the generation of the Sonne Thirdly Effectively Many wayes 1. For the Incomprehensibility of the actions of the Spirit John 3. The wind bloweth where it lists and no man knoweth from whence it comes so is the Spirit 2. The Diversity of his operations As the breathings of the winde is from several corners the Spirits dispensations have not been alwayes alike 3. For the Efficacity moving the hearts of men to love good to hate evil 4. For the Impossibility of resisting this 5. For the Necessity of it to every good worke as the winde is to the ship Vse Is the holy Spirit God Then take heed of that blasphemous scoffing which many carnal and wicked people are guilty of which is to mock at the very name of the Spirit If a sinne against the holy Ghost be unpardonable and doing despite unto the Spirit of grace leaveth a man in an impossibility of recovering How darest thou let thy heart and tongue be thus set on hell fire Thy body and soul is to be the temple of the Spirit Thy duties are to come from this Spirit and doest thou deride it Vse of Admonition Take heed of entituling thy own fancies and delusions to the Spirit of God For seeing the holy Ghost is God it must be a capital crime to make such sinfull fancies and thoughts that come from thy corrupt heart to flow from the holy Spirit of God If to counterfeit the publick Seal or Coin of a Land be a capital crime How great a sinne is it to â—ake thy sinfull and carnal affections as if they were the workings of Gods Spirit And that the Spirit of God dwels in you Two Propositions you heard were contained in these words First That the Spirit of God is God which hath been demonstrated Secondly That the Spirit of God dwels in his Church We therefore proceed to this second Doctrine And now to open this let us consider First What the phrase to dwell in the Church implieth Secondly How he dwels there As the Spirit of God is said to dwell in us so in other places God promiseth to dwell in his people 2 Cor. 6 16. And Christ is said To dwell in our hearts by faith Ephes 3.17 All which are not to be understood of any visible or local habitation much lesse comprehensive that we cold comprehend God for he is as he said one whose circumference is every where and center no where The Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him but it is meant in a mystical and spiritual manner Now this phrase To have the Spirit dwell in us denoteth First The propriety that it hath to us that we are his possession as an house is a mans own where he is Lord and Master And this is worthy of consideration That we who once were the Devils he dwelt in us He ruleth in the hearts of the disobedient Ephes 2. have now him expelled from us and the Spirit of God taking us for his possession We pity persons bodily possessed that they foame and rore and are throwne sometimes into the fire and sometimes in the water but he who is a wicked man the Devil possesseth his soul more dreadfully he puts him upon anger malice upon unclean lusts and noisome filthy wayes and though many be of the Church visibly yet in regard of their own particular they are thus possessed by the Devil who hath their heart their eyes their tongues their whole body so that they seem to be a walking Hell So that herein is a wonderfull change when the Spirit of God comes and takes possession of a people who before were captives to Satan and led aside according to his will 2 Tim. 2.26 Secondly When it 's said The Spirit of God dwels in a people it supposeth That he doth fashion and prepare them for himself For every lodging is not fit for so noble a guest but as great men carry their rich furniture with them to have convenient lodgings so also doth the Spirit of God raise up a people by illumination and sanctification to be a fit habitation for him As they say Anima fabricat sibi domicilium The soulâ— makes the body so curiously organized and diversified for it's self to be in So much more doth the Spirit of God put spiritual life and quicken up our dead hearts that we may be prepared for the enjoyment of him It 's said The Spirit of God moved upon those waters Genes 1. that covered the deep when the earth was without forme or void Thus the Spirit of God doth take us out of our natural confusion and horrible darknesse and makes us comely with those ornaments he puts upon us So that as it is impossible to have the Sunne but withall we must enjoy glorious light So we cannot have the Spirit of God but withall many precious and heavenly gifts will be bestowed upon us Oh then how few persons how few Congregations can endure the lustre of this Doctrine What heavenly or precious jewels have they of Gods Spirit Thirdly When it 's said The Spirit of God dwels in us it denoteth The familiarity and condescending Communion that God vouchsafeth unto his children To dwell with one is an act of communion Hence 1 Peter 3.17 Husbands are commanded to dwell with their wives Our Savior expresseth this familiarity by John I will come in and sup with him and he with me Revel 3.20 So that what was spoken of Moses as so rare a priviledge He spake to God face to face as one friend speaketh to another in some kinde of sense though not after the same manner is true of every godly person Hence the Spirit of God is said to enable us to cry Abba Father Galat. 4 6. which though it suppose a filial reverential frame in us yet also godly boldnesse and confidence Hence he is also said To witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God Rom. 8. So that children being admitted to sit at their Fathers Table have that bread which dogs may not eat of They have
this later way of Gods Spirit as formerly you heard dwelling in us is most comfortable and most to be regarded though the other be more admired The former did especially belong to the Church in its first plantation Hence Acts 2. we reade of the accomplishment of that glorious Prophecy Joel 2. To pour out his Spirit c. but now these miraculous operations are ceased Vse of Instruction What Congregations and what manner of persons we ought to be To be meer men cometh farre short of being spiritual men we ought to be above sense and all humane principles Take the most refined men for morality and civility the choisest for all humane abilities yet without the Spirit of God they are no more than Adams body till life was brethed into him no more than those bones in Ezekiel till the Spirit of God gathered them together Oh that our Congregations consisted of spiritual men Paul complained He could not preach to them but as carnal The Spirit of God would lift thee up to other affections other desires As the Spirit took some mens bodies and lifted them up into the air so would it doe to the soules of men they had the Spirit of God who said Our conversation is in Heaven They had the Spirit of God that did look for the coming of Christ They had the Spirit of God who had prayed with groanes unutterable and who had joy unspeakable But oh we poor worms and not spiritual men cold clods of earth destitute of Gods Spirit And that the Spirit of God dwels in you We have heard what this inhabitation of Gods Spirit in his Church doth imply and how he may be said to dwell in us In the next place let us consider the special Workes and Effects of Gods Spirit in his Church For therefore partly hath he the name Spirit because of that power and efficacy he hath in the Church Hence he came downe in a mighty rushing winde and cloven tongues of fire So that he is called the Spirit internally and externally internally for his personall character whereby he proceeds from the Father and the Sonne Externally because of those admirable effects and demonstrations of his presence in the Church Now I shall not speak of these operations which he hath as God in creating and conservating of the world but what are more peculiar to the Church in which sense he is called The Spirit of Christ Romans 8.9 because Christ by his death did purchase such gifts and graces for his people the efficient whereof in an appropriated manner is the Spirit of God And First The very ministerial functions and abilities to discharge them are of the Holy Ghost in the Church For although Ephesians 4.11 it 's said That Christ after his Ascension and triumph over Death and Hell Gave gifts unto men Even as great Emperours when they ride in glorious triumph after a final Conquest over their enemies use to distribute large favours and many bountifull signes of honour yet because upon his Ascension he promised the Spirit of God in his absence as the divine Vicar of Christ therefore 1 Cor. 12. we find all operations and diversities of them attributed to the holy Ghost And Acts 25. the holy Ghost is said To make those overseers in the Church of Ephesus So that what Church-officers or what Church-ordinances or order we have and what Gifts and Abilities likewise there are to discharge them These are all of the holy Ghost and of the holy Ghost three wayes 1. In respect of their Institution and being For although it 's by man that such and such persons are elected and ordained to this or that Office yet the Office of it self is of the holy Ghost They are not the Institutions of men nor may men appoint some Church-officers which God hath not because their end is wholly supernatural As it 's said 2 Cor. 12.28 God hath set in his Church such Officers even as he hath set the Sunne and starres in the firmament so that all Officers lawfully called are of the holy Ghost either immediately as at the beginning or else mediately by the order and designation of the Church And as for their gifts it 's plain the extraordinary and miraculous gifts in the primitive times were from Gods Spirit The Scripture often attributeth them to it Only now it may be doubted Whether we can say that the gifts and the abilities that Ministers have now are from the holy Ghost because they are got by humane study and industry And is there any more required to understand the Scripture than any other humane Authour Plato or Aristotle Those cursed wretches Julian and Porphyrius who wrote against the Scripture they understood what they were so invective against yet it cannot be thought they were inabled by the holy Ghost Now to answer this even those natural abilities and humane indowments that men obtain by study are a gift of God they are a blessing which we see God giveth to some and not to other It 's Gods mercy thou art not a natural fool a mad man but when thou hast more understanding and better intellectual abilities than other thou hast a greater gift from God than others Hence in our very ordinary phrase we say such an one hath an excellent gift in his memory in his elocution c. And the Scripture is clear James 1.17 Every good and perfect gift cometh from the Father of lights which is to be understood universally both of naturals and supernaturals And what hast thou thou hast not received 1 Cor. 4. Hence in the Parable all abilities whether gracious or natural are called Talents and are given by one Master That is the first thing even those excellent abilities which the greatest Heretiques and enemies to the Christian Religion had were of God though the sinfull use of them came from the Devil and their own corrupt hearts They were talents of gold and they made Idols of them 2. As the gifts and abilities Church-officers have are from God so the right understanding of the Scripture and believing the sense contained therein is in a more particular manner a gift of Gods Spirit For although the Spirit of God doth not give us the sense and meaning of the Scripture in an extraordinary manner viz. without the knowledge of the tongues the comparing of places together c. yet in and by these means the Spirit of God doth help us to understand the Scripture I do not here speak of a saving knowledge of the sense of the Scripture but a meer literal knowledge of the meaning thereof This is plain by the Apostle No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Spirit 1 Cor. 12 3 The very historical believing of Scripture truths is from the Spirit of God So that here is required a more peculiar and particular assistance of Gods Spirit in ministerial abilities for the opening of the Scripture then for any humane Authour because the matter
Religion and godlinesse is counted such a nicety or nothing to a mans wealth and outward accommodations that he will as was said of one Bishop sing Canticum novum and yet never be out of tune because alwayes serving the times Vse of Admonition If thou wilt be Christs Disciple indeed know the glory and reputation of the world and his commands practised are not consistent together Thou canst not be judged a wise man a discreet man and yet a violent man for the kingdome of Heaven if you goe faster or beyond the common formality of most men you have lost your repute presently As was said of Naaman He was a great man a mighty man but he was a Leper Thus doe thou expect a rich man a good natured man an honest man but too forward too much for purity and precisenesse Oh that ever this should be among Christians The Jew loveth the most zealous Jew The Papist the most devout Papist but we reformed Protestants love not those whose tongues and lives doe most protest both against Idolatry and all wickednesse Well doe not thou give over for all that for though they judge it folly yet thou awest their conscience secretly Let him become a fool that he may be wise The Preceptive part or Duty injoyned hath been considered Let him become a fool It 's pity to lose the least oar of this gold and therefore I shall at this time insist on the last particular which is the Effect or Benefit of this Duty That he may be wise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There are two Greek words among others which the Scripture useth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seemeth to be larger for that comprehends not only the acts of the understanding but of the will and the affections and this is called the wisdome after the flesh Rom. 8. because the whole power of the soul is concerned therein but this in my Text doth chiefly relate to the mind and understanding of a man though Sapientia be à sapere a metaphor from the taste as the palate discerneth of meats so doth a wise man of the nature of things Now much dispute there hath been among Heathens What wisdome is and Who is the wisest man The wisest of the Heathens would not arrogate to themselves to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lovers of wisdome But we see Paul in this Text tels us where indeed wisdome is to be had and that is only from God through the Scriptures all the humane wisdome of the world being indeed folly Hence are Luthers propositions Qui sine periculo velit in Aristotele philosophars necesse est ut ante bene stultificetur in Christo And againe Nemo bene philosophatur nisi stultus id est Christianus Observe That onely in the Church of God or in Christianity is true wisdome As there is no salvation so there is no wisdome out of the Church That which hath the appearance of so much folly and absurdity is indeed the onely true wisdome and that will appear in several particulars wherein I shall not take wisdome in so strict a sense as Aristotle sometimes doth for the knowledge only of most excellent and admirable things Nor as others making wisdome to be only of divine things science of natural things and prudence of humane things But I shall take it as largely as the Scripture which under wisdom comprehends the whole way of faith and godlinesse That therefore only true wisdom is in the Church of God appeareth several wayes First Here we have the only Rule of wisdome which is the Scriptures so that all people without this sit in darknesse and want the starre to bring them to Christ or happinesse David doth in many places acknowledge this excellent property of Gods Word That it giveth wisdome to the simple Jer. 8 9. They have refused the word of God and what wisdome can be in them Thus you see that only Christians have the true Rule of wisdome viz. Gods Word But oh the ingratitude and rebellion of many who love their folly and their darknesse when yet they may be thus spiritually wise Who is there that readeth this Book to believe accordingly to inflame his affections and order his life accordingly Who looketh into this Glasse to dresse himself and compose himself according to those commands No folly no cause of repentance would be in us could we keep exactly to this Rule O me nunquam sapientem cryed Tully when deprived of all his hopes But O me semper sapientem may the godly say while keeping close to Gods Word Though thou art no Scholar no learned man though poor and contemptible yet from the Scripture thou mayest learne great and admirable wisdome Secondly Only in the Church is true wisdome because this cometh from God above and is by divine infusion into us Men may be moral wise men and have great political prudence as Cato was called the Wise but we Christians are to expect a wisdome from above or an heavenly wisdome as the Scripture cals it Jam. 3 17. Alas every man naturally though of never so much raised intellectual abilities in humane things is a very fool and mad man in heavenly and spiritual things Therefore this wisdome is a gift of God and is the eye or chief part of our godlinesse If any man want wisdom let him ask it of God Jam. 1. God indeed gave Solomon political prudence and civil wisdom but that which is necessary for all is wisdom for their souls and to walk in such wayes that bring to happinesse This wisdom a poor despised Christian may have when a great learned Scholar may be without it Thirdly In Christianity there is only true wisdome because there is only true godlinesse Now in the Scripture phrase To fear God to live holily to mortifie sinne this is wisdome The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom Pro. 1.7 and to depart from evil is a good understanding Hence all along in Solomons Proverbs we see godlinesse called wisdome and the godly man a wise man As on the other side a wicked man is the fool and he that sinneth is said to do foolishly There is no Jewish piety no Heathenish piety only Christian piety There cannot be any godlinesse but where the Spirit of God sanctifieth and regenerateth So then if thou wouldst attain to true wisdome know that consisteth in the fear of God and departing from all sinne Thou art never more foolish and unwise than when thou givest way to any lust such things will cost thee a dear and bitter repentance Do not say this wisdom is too high for thee for by praying and seeking to God thou mayest enjoy it Fourthly Christianity teacheth the true wisdom because that only enstructeth about the true and proper end of all our actions which is happinesse How did the wise men of the world stagger up and down like giddy men in
Vse of Reproof to the Godly that walke in dejections and discouragements alwayes complaining they are many times cast down and disquieted Be asham'd of such a childish weak disposition think of this Text carry it about thee in thy heart in thy mind in thy affections Say I will not disgrace the promise nor dishonour the goodnesse of God any more by these troublesome complaints You see David called himself a fool and a beast for such things Psal 73.22 But then secondly Here is duty as well as priviledge Pray for spiritual wisdome how to make every thing thine in a godly manner Get that excellent art of profiting by every thing Be not as the foolish Cock that knew not what to do with a pearl How do you esteem an herb or a receit of some special use I tell thee Every thing is precious thy time thy health the creatures thou mayest turn all things into gold Verse 22. Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas FRom the General the Apostle in this Verse descends to a particular enumeration of the several things that are for the use of the godly man He giveth us an Inventory of the Churches goods And first he beginneth with the Officers and their Gifts and labours Whether Paul c. He instanceth in the chiefest and highest If Paul and such as were Apostles immediately called and placed in the highest Offices were not for themselves but for the Church then much lesse meaner and lower persons whether Paul that plants or Apollo that waters or Cephas that is Peter Here you see he is placed after Paul and from hence is plainly inferred That Peter had not such an universal and absolute dominion over the Church as the Papists dream of but all for the Church not the Church for them Observe That all Offices and Gifts howsoever diversified are for the Churches of God The Churches edification is the end of their Institution When God made the world he made it for himself The world is for God not God for the world But when Christ ascended on high and set Officers in the Church he made them for believers not believers for them Thus before vers 5. What is Paul and Apollo but Ministers by whom ye believe And so 2 Cor. 4.5 We preach not our selves but Jesus Christ and our selves your servants for Jesus sake So that all the offices all the ministerial power and abilities that are be wholly for the Churches spiritual advantage Even as the nurse of some great Emperours child all the dainty fare and good provision she hath is onely to cause milk that may be good nourishment for the child Hence are they compared to light and salt which have their property for other things and not themselves Now let us consider 1. In what sense this is not true that all Officers are the servants of the Church 2. How it is true And first When we say Officers and all their abilities are for the Church The meaning is not as if they had their power and office from the Church or from believers so as that they should preach and baptize and dispense all Ordinances in the Churches name as the Brownists do earnestly contend making all power and dominion to be in the number of the Church This is not so for the Officers and their power is of Christ 1 Cor 2.28 God hath set in his Church Ephes 4.11 Christ gave some Pastors some Teachers Acts 20.28 Over which the holy Ghost hath made you Overseers Hence they are called The Ministers of Christ and the stewards of God By all which places it's clear That the Officers of the Church have their power and authority from God and Christ that they do all not in the Churches name but Christs name They are not the Churches stewards nor the Churches Embassadors but Christs Indeed by the Churches election or designation such a man is received to be their Pastor or Shepherd but the Church doth not give him his Office but Christ or such Officers that Christ hath appointed to do it So that they are both the Churches servants and Christs servants The Churches servants because the end of their office is to benefit the Church Christs servants because they come in his Name and have their Commission and Authority from him Secondly In that they are wholly the Churches the Apostle doth not confound or make void that order appointed in the Church between Officers and those they have a care over He doth not nullifie the relation they are in of Shepherds Guides Overseers and such as rule over them and watch for their souls good Nor doth he take away that command of honour reverence love and respect yea that submission and obedience unto them as other places do require There are those that would bring an Anarchy and confusion in the Church making no difference between Shepherd and Sheep Guides and Overseers and those who are to submit to them but the Scripture is very clear for this distinction and God is not the God of confusion but of order Is the whole body an eye or the whole body an head saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.17 This would make the body of Christ a deformed monster and worse than any humane society But when he saith All these Officers are yours it implieth these things First That the aim of all those who enter in any Church office and all the while they are in should not be principally their own advantage or earthly accomodations but the edification of the Church the glory of Christ and the good of peoples souls This is very difficult when he saith Paul and Apollo are yours he thereby teacheth all us Ministers what should be the chiefest aim of our souls to feed not to shear the sheep Thus Peter is instructed Lovest thou me Lovest thou me then feed my sheep feed my lambes John 21.16 Not but that Christ taketh care for their maintenance and they are lawfully to look to that but it ought not to be the principal He that desireth 1 Tim. 3.1 the office of a Bishoprick desireth a good work It 's a work and labour for the good of others So that this teacheth us what sincere and publique intentions ought to be in us What tender and compassionate bowels we ought to have to the flock committed to our charge Secondly It implieth That all our preaching and the whole labour of our Ministry must not be for ostentation or self-advancement but in the most profitable and advantagious way we can to better mens souls 1 Cor. 12.7 Every one hath his gift to profit with all The Apostle rejects all such Questions as do not profit 2 Tim. 2.14 So that all our care should be in our preaching in our study so to handle the Word that we may most benefit our people that our words may fall like the rain or dew upon the tender herb as Moses saith Deut. 32.2 that the meanest may be edified The Apostles arguments against speaking in
unknown tongues 1 Cor. 14. do fully reach to this Ministers may affect such obscure unprofitable and impertinent matter as that the people may no more be bettered then if all things were done in Latine The Apostle had rather speak five words to edification then five hundred other wayes Insomuch that a powerfull profitable way of preaching is a great gift of God a special blessing unto a people And though some Ministers partake of it more than others yet all are to bend themselves for the peoples profit Si non vis intelligi cur vis legi said he we may adde cur vis audiri we see the nurses care is to make the childs meat most conveniently eatable and fit for nourishment and Ministers that do otherwise are such unkind fathers that our Saviour speaketh of as not possible when the children aske bread they give them a stone when they aske fish they give them a serpent Thirdly In that all things are the Churches is implied That no Officers have an absolute dominion over their peoples faith neither may lord it over them according to their lusts and ambitions but to doe all things for their souls good Paul though an Apostle would not assume such dominion 2 Cor. 1.24 Not that we have dominion over your faith And 1 Pet. 5.3 forbids all lordship over Gods inheritance They are Gods inheritance they are his field that they are to dresse and till not for themselves but their Masters use The Pope of Rome with his Abettors do infinitely transgresse in this particular who though he style himself Servus servorum the servant of servants is yet the Lord of Lords whatsoever they give us to eat we must swallow without chusing All our Sacrifices must be without eyes the more ignorance in our faith the more devotion No all the power and authority of Church-officers is not Magisterial but Ministerial we must come with Thus saith the Lord As it is written That which we have received that we are to deliver and when they keep to this then He that heareth them heareth Christ and He that despiseth them despiseth Christ No man may adde to or detract from the last will of a man much lesse Gods Testament which is to be the rule to the Church while she is in this world Fourthly In that all Officers are the Churches there is implied That not onely finis operantis but operis also not onely the end of all Ministers but the end of the offices and gifts themselves are for the Churches good God when he set Pastours and Teachers he gave them for the perfecting of the Saints and compleating their graces and bringing them to a full stature in Christ Eph. 4.11 12 13. Now it 's good to consider the manifold ends why God hath given such offices and gifts to his Church And First It 's to multiply and gather in more to the Church even the whole number of the elect Thus they are called fishers of men Mat. 4.19 they cast in the spiritual net of the Gospel and out of the bitter waters of the world they take up many for Gods Kingdom Many thousands were taken at the beginning of the Gospel Thus they are also called Fathers because by the Word they beget many to eternal life So then the Officers of the Church are yours to bring you home to God of Wolfs to make you Lambs of Beasts to make you Saints Oh consider whether the Ministry hath ever been yours in this sense or no! Hath it removed those mountains those high Towers of sinne that exalt themselves against Christ Hath it reformed thee of thy lusts of thy beastlinesse Oh may you not say in a contrary sense to Paul You have ten thousand Instructers yet no Fathers you have had many preachers but no father none hath begot thee anew to a spiritual and heavenly life Secondly It 's to convince and reprove to trouble and disquiet the soul for sinne and thus they are yours though wretched man had rather be without them Paul was very sharp and severe against the errours and vices of believers All Ministers are commanded To reprove and rebuke with all authority Tit. 2.15 To lift up their voices like a trumpet and to tell Israel of their transgressions This is for your advantage more than all false and daubing delusions You see God himself would not spare Aaron or Moses though never any talked to God face to face as he did yet God reproved him for his rashnesse Because he did not sanctifie him before the people and therefore would not let him enter into the Land of Canaan Oh it 's a good sign when you can receive a sharp reproof and rebuking Sermons as yours as profitable to you desiring not to be spared Thirdly They are yours for quickning and increasing of grace To bring us to a full stature as you heard the Apostle calleth it Desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 There is watering as well as planting Paul reproveth these Corinthians as carnal that he could not speak to them as spiritual And Heb. 6. he speaketh terribly to those that are still in their first principles and are not carried on to further perfection Consider then here is the Ministry and all the gifts and Sermons you have enjoyed for your benefit and profit Is your understanding more enlightned your hearts more tender your lives more reformed Is your knowledge bettered your graces more quickened and your whole conversation more fervent and zealous Fourthly They are for consolation and comfort unto the tender and broken hearted for sinnes Hence they are the Ministers of the Gospel and they bring the glad tidings of peace We are sent to comfort and give rest to those that are loaden with sinne Oh that we could meet with a people that need this balm of the Gospel that want this oil of Gods grace in their wounds There are thousands of people to whom we must not we dare not dispense the comforts of the Gospel we cannot say these glad tidings are to be published to you Lastly Not onely their gifts and office but all events whatsoever do befall them Their honour or disgrace their life or their death their esteem or their persecution is for the Churches good 2 Cor. 5.13 Whether we be besides our selves or sober it is for you saith Paul And in another place he makes one end of all his sufferings to be for the Churches sake Col. 1.24 If the Ministers of the Gospel runne through good report or bad report life or death it 's for the Churches good And therefore Chrysostome understands that life and death after mentioned of the Ministers so that you are not only to learn by their Sermons but by all their mercies or by all their sufferings not only their tongues but all things else should teach you Vse of Exhortation Take heed that through thy unbelief and other sinnes the Ministry and all the abilities and gifts thereof
was for his eternal torment They call such things the blessing of God and so indeed in themselves they are but to wicked men they are curses For as the godly mans afflictions come from Gods love Whom he loveth he chasteneth Heb. 12. so wicked mens mercies come from Gods anger Had God loved thee thou hadst had it may be more afflictions more wants and exercises Secondly Wicked men have not the world Because they are overcome by it the world hath them rather Therefore they are called as you heard the world as if their very souls as well as bodies were made of the dust of the earth whereas the godly have the world as if they had it not they have God and the world too they have Heaven and Earth too they do not prâ—â— the worse their duties are not the more thinne and distracted As Abraham and David these were rich and great men in the world yet if you reade Davids Psalmes you will finde his heart set on God above all these things Thirdly Wicked men have not the world Because they do not own and acknowledge God as the giver of all neither do they live to him but the things of the world are instruments to draw out their lusts to make them the more wicked They take the good creatures of God and abuâ—e them to wickednesse Therefore Rom 8. The whole creation is said to groan under them as being weary of them The very Air the very Earth is weary of them yea the timber in the house and the stones of the wall do witnesse against them they are by the things of the world made more wicked Lastly They have not the world Because they have not an holy contentation of mind They are not quiet or satisfied in their condition they have no true peace notwithstanding all their abundance and the reason is because they have not pardon of sinne and enjoyment of Gods favour with these and they are only blessed who are so Matth 5. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth You see the whole earth is promised to a meek humble contented spirit whereas a wicked man is compared to the Sea that is alwayes foaming and never lieth still The Vse is two-fold 1. Of Comfort and Exhortation to the godly Comfort in what distresse and strait soever thou art in Say not I have not this I want this I am poor and miserable for thou hast Heaven and Earth onely set faith on work This is the hand to receive those treasures This faith is not a fancy it 's not a foolish imagination but a real investing of thee with all things But it 's of Exhortation also to have the world for thy spiritual use Take heed of the wickednesse of it We have not received the spirit of the world 2 Corin. 4. Oh it 's an excellent thing not to have the spirit of the world but of God! Vse 2. Of Instruction To shew the power and miserable estate of the richest and greatest men in the world that want godlinesse none is so poor so miserable as they Thou sayest this is thine and that is thine Alas because Christ and the Promise are not thine nothing is indeed thine If they be thine they are thy poison thy destruction thy damnation and thus they are thine Or Life We proceed to the third thing in order and that is the several Conditions or Estates we are in Life is yours and Death is yours Chrysostome and Grotius after him limit this to the life and death of the Ministers in the Church If they live enjoying their liberties and outward comforts it 's for you If they die if they lose their liberties and lives it 's for the Churches sake As Paul said He was willing to be a Sacrifice offered up for the Philippians faith Phil. 2.17 This is indeed a truth but as the world is a general so there is no reason but that we should take Life and Death in as General a sense And indeed this limited one may well come under the first enumeration Paul and Apollo all are yours At this time we shall treat of Life The Scripture speaks of a three-fold Life 1. Animal which is in beasts 2. Humane belonging to men as rational And 3. Supernatural or an heavenly life which onely deserveth the name of it The other being but shadows and dying lives Now we shall especially speak of this humane life being perfected with that supernatural life Observe That Godly men do onely live or The Godly onely doe make a spiritual use of their life Life is only theirs 1 Pet. 3.10 He that loveth life and would see good dayes let him refrain his tongue from evil let him eschew evil and do good Here you see the only way to live and to have good dayes is to avoid all evil and imbrace all good Hence Christ John 6. cals himself The bread of life and he giveth the water of life none liveth till they be united to him We shall insist on these things 1. That only godly men live 2. That wicked men though in the midst of all their jollity yet the Scripture doth not account of them as living persons And First The godly man only liveth Because he is united to God and Christ the fountain of life David doth often style God The fountain of life Psal 36.9 And in his favour there is life And in the New Testament especially by John Christ is made the Author of all life He is therefore compared to the Head and to the Vine If the members or branches be separated from these they die and wither presently as John 15. This is so frequent an assertion that we need not dilate on it If not a member of Christ there is no life in thee Aut es in membris aut in humoribus said Austin Thou art either among the members or the humours of the body of the Church Gal. 3.20 Paul said He no longer lived but Christ in him and the life he lived was by faith in the Sonne of God What did not Paul eat and drinke and enjoy the common Aire as we doe Yes this he doth not call his life Oh they live who no longer live but Christ in them Thy sense thy carnal reason thy corrupt affections thy worldly inclinations these no longer live but Christ in thee and his graces Secondly Onely the godly man liveth Because he hath a spiritual and a new life added to his animal life For as the soul is the life of the body so grace is the life of the soul Hence our Saviour cals all wicked men dead men Let the dead bury the dead Matth. 8.22 That is a strange expression but very true No dead corpse is more destitute of life and apprehension than their souls are of any heavenly motions any spiritual hungrings or thirstings All the merry and jolly men in the world they are dead men if living in their sinnes Therefore among the Pythagoreans who kept strict
death 2 Cor. 7. the godly therefore take heed of it as that which murders the body So inordinate and worldly cares we see how such do even devour men they have so many thorns in their flesh and what life do such live Impatience is a sudden Devil possessing a mans soul In patience possesse your souls Luke 21.19 A man doth not possesse himself he is not master over his own spirit that is passionate and furious So that men in such sins they live but as those that have been thrown to wilde beasts or serpents to be devoured by them Lastly The godly man only liveth Because even in the last breathings of this life his hopes and comforts do most remain The righteous hath hope in his death Prov. 14.32 And this hope is called A lively hope yea the godly die not at all because all live to God their very dead bodies if you regard the Covenant of Grace and Gods power are alive Luke 20 38. At that moment when all a wicked mans hope perisheth his life faileth him his comforts his friends all forsake him then are the godly to lift up their heads for their redemption draweth nigh Though they were dead they shall live Dives had the good things of this life but doth he not lose all with his soul at his death Lazarus may say Soul take thy ease when dying which Dives could not But In the second place How can it be said that the wicked do not live when they are said to have their portion chiefly in this life And David by many Psalmes informeth us they do not onely vivere but valere not onely live but flourish Their eyes stick out with fatnesse yet they doe not live because 1. They are dead in their sins And hereby their faith their Religion their Christianity is all dead as you heard 2. They do not live Because they are in a condemned estate they are appointed to wrath As Adam is said to die in the day he did eat of the forbidden fruit and as the Scripture cals some the sonnes of death or dead men because appointed thereunto Oh this should enter deep into thy heart As long as thou livest in thy sinnes thou art a dead man a damned man as the malefactor condemned to die is a dead man though he live a day or two before execution 3. They doe not live Because all their time is lost so all the time of a mans unregâ—neracy is no life All those dayes were lost those duties lost all that time lost 4. They make every thing an instrument of death Their health their wealth their honours are all deadly herbs in the pot their tongue speaks the words of death their hands work the works of death Vse of Instruction to the Godly so live that your life may appear to be yours not the Devils not sinnes that thou doest not live to the world Let thy mouth be a Well of life Be thou a tree of life Prov. 11.20 as Solomon speaks of the righteous Do not thou only live but cause others to live Let thy life put life in others as one candle lightens another one candle kindleth another Vse 2. Of Terrour to wicked men You live not you rejoyce not you have no true mirth or gladnesse False joy is real misery A man that hath an estate of brasse for gold is not rich thou art a dead man as yet even condemned to Hell every day the sentence may be executed on thee and it 's plain thou art dead because thou feelest not thou complainest not under this heavy burden Or Death all things are yours We are upon the third part of the Apostles Enumeration and that is the different conditions which are in the world expressed under those two titles Life and death Not only life is yours but death also And in this later lieth the greater wonder For how Death which was inflicted at first as a curse and punishment for sinne and is the period of all outward comforts in this life should be for our advantage is hard to imagine and then that two contraries should meet in the same issue both life and death produce the like effects makes it still the greater paradox But the more unlikely and impossible it is to humane reason the easiâ—r it is to a divine faith In the Scripture Death admits of several senses 1 Sometimes it 's taken for the spiritual death of the soul in sinne Thus men are often said to be dead and well may this want of grace be called Death because such a man is like Lazarus buried and even putrified in the grave of sinne There is no sense no motion there is nothing but loathsomnesse they are putrifying carkasses and not living men though never so externally glorious in the world 2. There is an eternal Death often mentioned in the Scripture as the reward of every sinne who though they live yet it is a dying life 3. There is the natural Death viz. the dissolution of those two dear friends the soul and the body Lastly Death is put for any great extremity and misery in which sense God is said to raise the dead 2 Cor. 1. And the Israelites captivity is expressed under the similitude pf dead men dead bones and their restauration is a resurrection or living again Ezek 37.1 In these two later considerations we may take it as death comprehends all outward afflictions and miseries as also the separation of soul from body Observe That even Death which in it self is so terrible yet is for a godly mans advantage It 's his mercy it 's his gain as well as life is He may call it his death in a comfortable sense as well as he may call any mercy his To open this consider First That God created man at first after his own Image in righteousnesse and true holinesse and thereby he was immortal Not as God who is absolutely immortal and therefore said Only to have immortality 1 Tim. 6.16 Now as the Angels who are immortal from their intrinsecal constitution having no corruptible principles only God can annihilate them but he was made immortal conditionally had he continued in that state of integrity he had not been capable of death as appeareth by the commination In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die Gen. 2.16 And the Apostle Rom. 5. concludeth That by sinne death reigned over the world where by death is not only meant actual death but potential also or a state of mortality Now the original of death or how it came into the world was not known by the Heathens They called it a tribute that all must pay to nature but why men should die and how it came about at first that they were ignorant of Secondly Vpon Adam 's fall In quo uno omnes peccarunt whose sinne was the sinne of all mankind as Rom 5. Death was inflicted as a punishment upon all So that if we consider death in the abstracted nature of it it is
work then they die to receive their wages And this certainly is very comfortable to all the children of God especially Ministers that God will give them their liberties and lives till they have done their work No man can stop Gods way and power no more than they can hinder the Sunne in running its race Why should death then be grievous to thee when God hath no more for thee to do here when thou canst be no more usefull to promote his glory Fourthly Death is the godly mans Because the meditation and thoughts of it are sanctified to him He liveth as one that expecteth it daily And although every one knoweth he must die yet we cannot have the sanctified knowledge of it without Gods grace Teach me to number my dayes saith the Psalmist Psal 90. that we may apply our hearts to wisdome And Paul I die daily Thus the Scripture bids us not put confidence in future things what we will do or whither we will go because our life is a vapour Jam 4 13. Oh it 's great proficiency in Christianity to live as a mortal dying man Alas such an one will provide for eternity not account any thing in this world can make him truly happy his heart is weaned from all worldly comforts and delights Thus that there is such a thing as death it is a great argument to the godly man to live with all heavenly and holy affections Fifthly Death is the godly mans Because he only knoweth how to dâ—e well as we told you Life was his Because he onely could tell how to live So death is his because he only knoweth how to die Simeon saith Lukâ— 2.29 Now Lord let thy servant depart in peace when he had taken Christ in his arms and seen his salvation Thus they only by faith lay hold on Christ they only have oil to their lamps they only are prepared to give up their accounts Oh it 's an art of arts to die well Few are so prepared and disposed that at what hour soever the Master shall come he shall find them doing his will It 's true many wicked men are not afraid to die they flatter themselves and can bid death welcome but it is their ignorance their boldnesse makes them thus they know not what it is do die upon what terms to appear before God and therefore do suddenly drop into hell Sixthly The godly man hath death as an advantage if you respect the time and season of his death His death is not only mercy but the time of his death is mercy The term of every mans life is appointed by God To him belong the issues of death Psal 68.20 Now God in great wisdom and mercy hath determined the time of thy death And although we cannot alwayes see how it is a mercy to die at such and such a time yet it is so The righteous is gathered from the evil to come Isa 57.1 as jewels when the house is on fire as cattel are driven into a refuge before the storm beginneth Hezekiah must not live to see all that publique ruine which was coming on Israel Thus though they die in their younger years it 's a mercy Hence the death of righteous men is accounted a sad prognostique of future calamities Lastly Even the violent death of Martyrdome which cometh by the cruel and bloudy oppression of implacable enemies that is theirs It 's a mercy a gain and honour The Apostles rejoyced that they were accounted worthy to lose what they had for Christs sake To you it 's given not only to believe but to suffer Phil. 1 19. If any man suffer as a Christian blessed is he for the spirit of glory shall rest upon him 1 Pet. 4.14 It 's the greatest honour that can be put upon thee Though it be matter of scorn and reproach with the world yet God and the holy Angels approve such As Christ is said to be exalted and glorified by dying so it is with his children Vse of unspeakable Consolation to the godly in their temptations and fears about death Oh that is terrible to thee thou knowest not what to do But why so If thou art one of the members of Christ who by faith art ingraffed in him this should be matter of joy Then and never till then doest thou beginne to be happy then thy bridegroom cometh to meet thee then the gates of Heaven are set open to give thee glorious entertainment if yet these things do not raise thee it 's because thou art not heavenly thou doest not by faith live on Scripture arguments Vse 2. Of Terrour to wicked men who must die and yet to die is onely losse to them They lose their wealth their friends their greatnesse all the mirth they had and then beginneth thy eternal woe Oh the very name of death and mortality should strike terrour into thee for this is the beginning of hell it putteth an end to all the comforts of this life Or things present or things to come We are now come to the last Enumeration of those several things which belong to the Churches treasure and that is all kind of events distributed according to their time either things present or future By present things some understand those gifts in the Church which were extraordinary of healing and such like cures and by future things the gift of revelation concerning things to come But this is too much restrained We rather take the largest sense and by present things understand all those events which for the present do befall us And by future whatsoever may in time come upon us So that this Text is a soveraign cordial to the godly whatsoever fals out they are sure to be gainers by Nothing comes amisse they are in a sure Ark while others float on the waters Observe That whatsoever fals out for the present to a godly man it is for his good Every day is in travel and brings forth some new thing or other Now as often as there is any new event so often is there a new mercy Our Saviour Matth. 6.34 saith Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof implying thereby that every day hath a womb as it were and it brings forth some affliction some evil or other and it is sufficient to the day we need not trouble our selves afore-hand Qui dolet antequam necesse est dolet plusquam necesse est yet the evil of the day is the good of the day to the believer A godly man may say he never had an ill day since his regeneration As we reade of a devout man who being wished a good day he said He never had an ill one in all his life And being asked How that could be He answered Every morning he laboured to conform his will to Gods will that what pleased God should please him and by this means every day was a good day to him Now the things which fall out may be divided into two contrary heads and you shall find both of
was shut out of his fathers blessing But this is farre greater to be shut out of Christs prayers Christs intercession and Christs expiation Thou canst not retain sinne and Christ too Thou canst not love the world and Christ too What hope then and refuge remains for thee If Christ cast thee off Is there any other remedy left Can any Angels help thee Are there any more Christs No thy case is altogether desperate who art cast off by him yet men sit and hear these things without fear or trembling And Christ is Gods We are now come to the last round in the Ladder à primo ad ultimum we are now at the last step we cannot go further to say God is any thing else beside himself for he is of himself and to himself All the other particulars may well be received without any difficulty but this seemeth to be a pill hardly taken down The expression seemeth hard Christ is Gods as if Christ were not God but made for God as the world is for the godly But Chrysostome saith well Though the words be the same yet the sense is much different The world is ours as being made for us we are Christs as being his creatures purchased but Christ is Gods as his most beloved Sonne This is true but yet this is not fully the Apostles meaning Therefore Christ is considered two wayes Either First As an absolute God in which sense he is said To think it no robbery to be equal with God Phil. 3.6 And thus though he be the Sonne of God yet he is equal with God Or Secondly As a Mediatour consisting of two Natures Divine and Humane Now if we consider Christ in respect of his Humane so that is a creature and wholly to be referred to God Or if we consider him as a Mediatour thus he is in reference to God the Father For a Mediatour is to bring us to him who is at distance from us Thus Christ both as a man and as a Mediatour in his whole Mediatory Office is not for himself but for God the Father as it is 1 Cor. 15.24 When the Sonne shall give up the Kingdome that God may be all in all We have two places like this 1 Cor. 11.3 The head of the woman is man and the head of Christ is God that is not in respect of his Divine Nature for the first Person cannot be said to be the Head or cause of the second but the beginning but in respect of his Mediatory Office So John 14.28 My Father is greater than I in respect of his Manhood and his Mediatory Office I shall not enter into these sublime Disputes about Christ as a Mediatour Whether that be Divine Worship that belongs to him as so And if Divine How there can be a primary Object of Religious Worship as God the Father and a secondary Object as Christ the Mediatour This though a noble Question yet because not so practical I wave onely some positive things I shall deliver in the point Observe That Christ as man and as a Mediatour is wholly Gods His Office and work as a Mediatour is to reconcile us to God the Father He is called The Saviour and the Mediatour The Saviour in respect of the end which is salvation that he obtaineth for believers and Mediatour in respect of the means and way by which this is accomplished To open this take notice First That Christ is a Person consisting of a Divine and Humane Nature not by mixtion or confusion or by meer inhabitation but by a Personal Vnion which is commonly called Hypostatical I shall not tell you how much that word Hypostasis troubled the Church The Latine Church having a clear contrary thought about the word to the Greek Church So that when they both agreed in the same thing yet the words and phrases they condemned in one another as heretical But the Scripture is very clear both that Christ was God and also man yet but one person not making two Christs and this is one main fundamental Article of Religion The Devil in former ages alwayes endeavoured to rob him of one of these Natures and some have raised these monstrous and damnable heresies again from hell but this foundation and pillar standeth sure Secondly By reason of this Personal Vnion though there be not a real communication of the Properties of each Nature yet there is a verbal one in the concrete both things are predicated of Christ As for example though the Divine Nature is not passible but the Humane Nature onely nor the Humane Nature omnipotent and omniscient but the Divine only yet of Christ we predicate that he suffered that he died that he is omnipotent and omniscient though this be true in respect of one Nature only Thirdly Christ being thus a Person that he may be our Redeemer he is cloathed with those three Offices which fit him fully for our Redemption He is first Medius in respect of his Person God and man Then he is Mediatour in respect of his Office His Office is three-fold a Prophet a Priest and a King This makes him the Trismegist the ter maximus Now we must not judge these things metaphysical curiosities No These are the Articles of our Christian Religion these are to be received by a divine and firme faith Yea in believing Christs Person and his Office lieth all the comfort and treasure of a Christian It 's Christ that should be our study our meditation day and night Quis sit qualis Who he is and what he is Now the Doctrine speaks of Christ both in respect of his Humane Nature and as he is a Mediatour not as God Let us see then How Christ as a man and as a Mediatour is Gods And First His Incarnation and coming into the world it was not for himself but for God He therefore took our Nature upon him that he might bring to God the Father his Elect people God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Sonne John 3.16 And To us a Sonne is borne to us a Sonne is given Isa 9.6 So that this work of Incarnation this coming into the world from the bosome of the Father which is so stupendious a mystery is originally from the Father It was to do Gods work to obey his will and therefore Christ is called Gods servant Isa 52.13 Not that Christ came into the world against his own will or as if this were against his own desire but God the Father is the original of all Secondly That Christ is Gods appeareth in that he acknowledgeth his Doctrine and Truth not to be his but his Fathers taking all off from himself and making himself only a Minister or Embassadour coming in his Fathers Name and revealing his will See this notably John 8 26 28. I speak those things which I heard of him I do nothing of my self but as my Father hath taught me I speak these things So vers 42. I came not of
sinnes provoke God to take it away All the world cannot give such a joy as this is Therefore Gal. 5.22 it 's called the fruit of Gods Spirit and often Joy in the holy Ghost Hence the Spirit of God is called the Comforter And God is stiled 2 Cor. 1.3 the God of all consolations because it is he alone that workes it Men may create the world as well as of themselves get such a joy as this Hence the people of God walk many times mournfully for the want of it And there is no Samaritan can put this Oyl into their wounds David cannot alwaies say God put such joy in his heart Yea he professeth the clean contrary sometimes That his soul was bowed down that he watered his bed with teares And Joh. was almost like a damned man in Hell But of the Reason of this desolatenesse we may speak hereafter It 's enough that this demonstrateth God to be the Author of all our joy And that as all the men in the world cannot make the Sunne arise in the morning did not God appoint it that natural course so neither are any able to bring this joy into their hearts Therefore in the second place The second discovery of this joy is from the manner of working it Thou didst put it into my heart That is an excellent expression It sheweth what dominion and soveraignty God hath over the heart He can as easily put joy into thy soul though afflicted though tempted though grieved with sinne as thou canst pour Wine into a Bottle He can with a word command waters to become Wine So that as the Orthodox maintain That Gods grace in converting the heart is irresistible it 's insuperable The heart cannot resist it with finall prevalency For à nullo duro corde respicitur quippe ad hoc datur ut tollat cor durum So it 's true also in spiritual joy The grieved heart the sad heart cannot reject it because it 's given to take away the sad heart Hence we read of the people of God the Martyrs and others that they have rejoyced under their tribulations more then their Persecutors did under all their abundance How was this possible but that God did so fill their hearts that no outward or inward misery could have any room there This should teach the people of God to walk so exactly that they may not on the contrary say God hath put more bitternesse into their heart then any can have in their worldly miseries For as the joy of God is more then all earthly joy so the sense of Gods anger and wrath causeth more sorrow and anguish of spirit then all outward calamities can do A wounded spirit who can bear Thirdly This Joy which God puts into our hearts followeth upon a true godly sorrow and mourning for sinne All the joy of thy heart which doth not flow from humiliation and deep sorrow for sinne it 's but a blaze it 's like the crackling of thornes And this is necessary to be observed for the Hypocrite who never had any true sound grace yet he may have some transitory joy So Mat. 13. They received the Word with joy And some rejoyced in John Baptists light but it was for a season only And thus many in some fits yea in some holy duties find a gladnesse and inward joy upon their hearts but this never had a true sorrow go before Before Paul was admitted into Gospel joyes he was striken to the ground and had a deep sense of his former guilt Therefore the Promise is Blessed are they that mourn for they shall rejoyce Mat. 5. Therefore as the Psalmist speaks concerning afflictions it 's true also of godly sorrow They that sow in teares shall reap in joy Many desire joy they are willing to hear of a Sermon that may cause gladnesse in their hearts but then they cannot endure the preparatory unto it They do not love the Law should wound them before the Gospel heal them But this is the nature of all heavenly joy it 's a daughter to godly sorrow Verus paenitens de peccato doler de dolore gaudet And this is it which makes godly joy so welcome and so precious because the heart was mourning and humbled before thinking it self unworthy of any joy in the least manner Though others might rejoyce yet not they This then is the method God takes First the Spirit of God is a Spirit of Supplication and mourning then it 's a Spirit of Joy and consolation Fourthly This joy which God putteth in the heart it 's from spiritual and heavenly motives Therefore the duty is so often called for to Rejoyce in the Lord And it 's called Joy in the holy Ghost It ariseth from Gods favour from Gospel-Priviledges because God is reconciled because sinne is pardoned because we are justifica through the blood of Christ So that the joy of a godly man and of a natural man differ as much as Heaven and Earth For what makes thee rejoyce at any time Is it some worldly pleasure Is it not some earthly content Is it not because such and such earthly advantages befall thee Thy heart is never cheerfull and merry but from such considerations Now how different and poor and contemptible are these to this heavenly Joy For the gladnesse of their heart ariseth from the love of God from an Interest in Christ from the consideration of eternal glory These sublime and spiritual Objects do ravish the godly soul So that the delights of a beast are not more inferiour to the delights of a man as a rational man then the delights of a man are to him as a Christian What the Apostle speaketh concerning the thoughts and words of a Child comparatively to a man the same is true also in respect of joy 1 Cor. 13. Children have their joy they laugh as Children they rejoyce in their Babies as Children but when they come to be men they cannot rejoyce as Children they cannot delight to play as they did when little Boyes Thus when thou art once made godly and hast tasted of more excellent Joy thou canst not delight in the pleasures of sinne nor in the greatest advantages of the world They are below thee Thou saiest to thy self when inordinately rejoycing in these things as she did but falsly to David Thou hast made thy self like one of the vile fellows to day The godly mans joy comes from an higher Spring then the worlds doth Fifthly Hence in the next place No man can have this spiritual joy but such who are regenerated and born of God Who have a spiritual and supernatural life We see in nature that according to the several kinds of life so there are several delights and proportionable thereunto the natural and animal life the rational life the sense hath its delights and reason hath its delght Thus when a man is born again he hath his joy and his delight Do not ye read often of David that professeth the Word of God